PLANS to bulldoze a New Forest police station and use the site for housing have been given the go-ahead.

Civic chiefs have approved an application to replace the Hampshire Constabulary building in Christchurch Road, Ringwood, with a terrace of five houses and two pairs of semi-detached homes.

Work is due to start in November and expected to take around 12 months.

It was recently revealed that more than 600 police stations across the country have closed in the past eight years.

Budget cuts have led to some forces selling off at least half their stations in what has been dubbed the largest spate of closures in policing history.

The Ringwood application had been opposed by the town council and the Ringwood Society, with both groups claiming the scheme would create extra traffic problems.

The scheme was put forward by Ringwood-based firm Pathway Developments Ltd.

A report alongside the application said the development will see a 20-trip daily increase in the number of vehicular movements in the area.

In a letter to the district council, the Ringwood Society called for the police station to be retained and converted into housing.

It added: “The access to the proposed scheme is totally inadequate and will lead to parking in Christchurch Road, which is already heavily congested.

“The design of the dwellings could be improved.”

But a report by council planning officers said Hampshire County Council had withdrawn its objection to the application following the submission of amended plans.

The police station closed to the public in 2012. Officers moved out in May last year and are now based in the town’s fire station, which is also in Christchurch Road.