Long-awaited plans to give the police a more visible presence in Bath have finally been submitted.

Bath and North East Somerset Council is set to scale back its use of Lewis House so Avon and Somerset Police can expand its footprint.

The police station was previously a stone’s throw away across Manvers Street in a building sold by the force in 2015 for £7 million that is now occupied by the University of Bath.

Plans submitted on behalf of the force by Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Shelford’s office say: “The existing premises no longer serve its purpose as its facilities do not provide sufficient accommodation to support the level of

service provision required in the area.”

If approved, the police will take over a third of Lewis House.

Officers will use the building daily from 7 am to 3 am, and ad hoc outside those hours to support the night-time economy, and it will open to the public on weekdays from 10 am to 6 pm.

Outside will be two dedicated parking spaces for officers, a police

lantern, an alarm box bell, CCTV cameras and a knife amnesty bin.