THE changing face of Basildon high street could see budget shops reign supreme.

Bargain chain B&M will open its doors to the public for the first time tomorrow.

Work has been ongoing for a number of months at the new store, which is taking over the large former BHS building, with shoppers eagerly anticipating its opening.

But with the nearby Marks and Spencer store poised for closure as well, shoppers are fearing the town centre could become a budget shoppers heaven, but with little substance and quality.

Tina Key, 58, of Whitmore Way, said: “I am a fan of B&M, so I am looking forward to popping in on Thursday.

“But you do have your worries about the town centre, is B&M the type of shop that we really want?

“Without BHS and Marks and Spencer, I do think we are losing two quite upmarket shops, and replacing them with the likes of B&M isn’t quite the same.

“You need a balance, as I said I am a fan of B&M, but you need both sides of the coin, you need the high quality shops alongside the discount ones.

“I would hope the town could attract a big name for the M&S shop.”

Although not all residents are as hopeful for the chain’s opening.

Tessa Thowney, from Basildon, said: “I personally think it’s another horrible cheap shop that brings the town down.

“We need new diverse shops not all these cheap shops.

“We have one in Southend. I’ve only been in there twice, thought it was all cheap rubbish.”

BHS fell into administration last April with its doors in Basildon closing just three months later in July.

It has been empty since, with B&M announcing its plans last year.

The self-labelled discount store has more than 500 high street locations in the UK and sells a wide variety of branded products at lower prices than that of typical superstores.

Fears that the BHS building would stand empty for years, with struggles to find an employer to fill the space, were squashed when B&M announced plans for the site.

But with one large empty unit dealt with, it came as a blow to the town centre when M&S announced its proposed closure at the start of this month.

The announcement came just a day before central government announced that Basildon would receive £10 million in housing infrastructure funding to boost its East Square regeneration project.

The cash boost will be used to regenerate the town centre, with plans for a 10-screen cinema, restaurants and 10-storey flats block taking centre stage.

Immediately residents, Basildon Council, and the Echo realised it would be a huge loss for the town if a regeneration project likes this went ahead without a focal point like M&S.

Looking ahead at a hugely exciting five years for leisure and shopping in Basildon, we launched the ‘Save our M&S’ which has gained almost 4,000 signatures, in a bid for bosses at the chain to reassess, taking into consideration plans for the town.

Visit change.org/p/marks-and-spencer-save-basildon-s-marks-and-spencer