PLANS have been submitted for the demolition of Ramsbottom Police Station.

The former station in Bridge Street was sold at auction to Cllr Rob Hodkinson and his wife Mary Ann in February.

Now an application to demolish it and build two shops and eight apartments has been submitted to Bury Council.

Cllr Hodkinson said: “I want to remove the eyesore that is the police station and replace it with a building that is in keeping with the character of the rest of the buildings in the street.

“Compared to the other Victorian buildings it is a bit of a monstrosity.”

The building was sold at auction to Cllr Hodkinson earlier this year for £226,000, after it closed last year to save Greater Manchester Police money.

The closure of the station was a decision by Greater Manchester Police chiefs who did a review into the future of the stations.

Ramsbottom and Radcliffe were both chosen to be closed and put on the market giving the force £700,000 and an annual saving of £100,000.

Although it only officially closed its doors last year Cllr Hodkinson said that it had not been open to the public since 2010.

He said: “It used to be shops before the station was bought in the 1950s, it’s restoring it to what it used to be.

“I’m hoping that shops and residential space will be more beneficial to the community than an unused police station.

“I’m a conservationist so the building will be in keeping with the heritage and character of the rest of the street scene.”

A report released by the police last year said that the station was only used by a “small number” of officers for refreshments and occasional computer use.

At the moment Cllr Hodkinson does not know what type of shops will be occupying the premises once it is built.

He said: “I don’t want to put any licensed premises in because I think we have enough bars and restaurants in the town.

“It is important that we maintain the balance between the night and day time economy.”

Cllr Hodkinson also owns Oddfellows Hall, a derelict building which he turned into apartments, and said that the work he has done on that shows how he will improve the police station.

He said: “I have shown with the work that I have done to that building that I do a proper job.

“The windows are all wooden and it is in keeping with the rest of the street.

“That is exactly what I intend to do with the police station.”

The application is expected to be decided by a planning officer using delegated powers.

It can be viewed on Bury Council’s planning website under reference 60708