SENIOR police officers yesterday welcomed the design for what could be North Yorkshire's newest police station.

The £1.9m development in Malton could be built free of charge in exchange for turning the old police station into a set of apartments.

And although the scheme has yet to go before the local council's planning committee, senior police officers are among those calling for its approval.

Thirsk-based Severfield-Reeve Projects are offering to build the station on the town's Wentworth Street car-park in return for redeveloping the existing one, in Old Malton Road - originally built as a private house.

The plan would see a proportion of the car park left for public use, while the purpose-built station would, according to the company, cater for the needs of 21st Century policing.

District police commander Inspector Neil Burnett said: "Within any police station, it is necessary to combine a range of different functions that support frontline policing. These include an intelligence unit, roads policing, community safety, crime analysis and so on.

"Most of these functions are interdependent and, to perform at their best, it is important they are located properly within the building so that different team members can communicate effectively and work as a team to fight crime.

"The existing police station was built as a house and poses constant challenges when it comes to developing working procedures because we are constrained by the size and layout of its rooms."

Area commander Chief Superintendent David Short added: "This is a golden opportunity for Malton to obtain a new police station, which will benefit the police and local community, at no cost to taxpayers.

"If it does not proceed we will, at some time, have to refurbish the existing police station which will of course have to come from the police budget which is contributed to by local tax payers."

Severfield-Reeve Projects insisted they would provide a development that was complementary to its setting.

Design director Garry Barker said: "We have designed the new police station so it is not over dominant by using the roof space to create a low profile.

"The overall design will be more in keeping with the style of a community building than an institution."