PLANS to bulldoze a former Hampshire police station and replace it with housing have taken a big step forward.

McCarthy & Stone has now submitted an application to transform the site in Jones Lane, Hythe, after consulting residents on the scheme, which is expected to pump an annual £670,000 into the local economy.

Civic chiefs are being asked to approve a multi-million-pound proposal to build 35 one and two-bedroom retirement apartments.

The old police station is opposite the entrance to Hythe Marina Village and is also only a few steps from a waterfront bungalow that was owned by the late Sir Christopher Cockerell, inventor of the hovercraft.

Other sites in the village have already been used to provide retirement apartments and other schemes are in the pipeline.

Shane Paull, McCarthy & Stone’s regional managing director, said: “Our proposals for the Jones Lane site will help meet a growing need for specialist accommodation for older people.

“We plan to deliver a sensitive residential development in a highly sustainable location.

“We have sought to respect the characteristics of the neighbouring Hythe Conservation Area. The proposed building is set back from Jones Lane and we are retaining all the existing trees to create an attractive setting for the development.”

Recent studies have highlighted the increasing demand for specialist accommodation for older residents in the Forest.

A report presented to councillors last September said the number of people in the area aged 85 and over would double by the year 2036.

It added that a further 2,100 units of sheltered housing would have to be built in the district over the next 20 years.

Hythe police station has been vacant since officers were moved to Hardley Fire Station as part of a cost-cutting campaign by Hampshire Constabulary, which has closed several stations.

A McCarthy & Stone spokesman said: “If approved, our proposals would provide a significant boost to businesses in the area.

“Independent academic research has shown that almost 80 per cent of McCarthy &Stone homeowners shop locally at least once a week. The company estimates that this would translate into £670,000 of spending in the local economy annually.”

The McCarthy & Stone scheme coincides with plans by Churchill Retirement Living to build 43 flats on land currently occupied by PC Building Supplies in nearby South Street.

A £7m Lidl is due to open on a neighbouring site next year.