A NEW £2m police station for Trowbridge has been given the go-ahead despite the concerns of councillors and people living nearby.

District and town councillor Jeff Osborn has hit out at police, accusing them of lying about the lack of suitable alternatives to demolishing and replacing the existing building at Polebarn Road.

He said: "There are at least six sites that I can think of. To say that there are no other suitable sites for a new police station is simply not true."

Wiltshire police told West Wiltshire District Council they had looked at 23 other sites in the town but none were suitable and if the plan was not approved they might have to move out of the town.

At a meeting of West Wiltshire District Council's central area committee on Thursday Cllr Bob Brice, said: "Trowbridge should have a police station in the town centre area and the Polebarn Road site is the only one available."

While disagreeing on the design and location of the building, councillors did agree the police could not carry on working from the current, cramped 1920s building.

Many members of the public attended the meeting to speak both against and in favour of the building.

People living in Yerbury Street, behind the station, expressed concerns about a second access to the site leading on to their street, to be used if the main entrance was ever blocked.

Police assured them this entrance would be used extremely rarely and Cllr Brice said he could not think of a time in the past 20 years when Polebarn Road had been blocked.

Other objections to the site centred on the modern design of the building, which will be in a conservation area.

Cllr Trevor Carbin said: "In terms of its appearance I think it is hideous and I think it would be better on the business park."

A representative of Raleigh Court, a retirement home near the centre, said residents would welcome the new station and 35 had signed a petition in its favour.

She said: "Trowbridge, as the county town, must have a police station which is easily accessible to its residents, especially now when the crime rate is growing. The police presence is needed."

The new station will be constructed partly from the red bricks used in the old building, with the rest being constructed of white steel. It will have a canopy at the front.

The central area committee voted seven to five in favour of the plan.