Moves to provide a new day care centre in Clacton have taken a step forward.

St Helena Hospice is in negotiation with Essex County Council to buy the site of the former police station on the corner of Jackson Road and West Avenue. It could know by May whether the bid will be successful.

Keith Dallisson, hospice director, said he was hopeful of being able to acquire the site, which has stood empty since 1997 when police moved into a new building in Beatrice Road.

He said: "Essex County Council has to work out a commercial value and then set that against what we can offer and balance those out.

"We are in the throes of making a formal offer but I don't know if there are any other interested parties."

Mr Dallisson said the aim was to develop the site for day care services for people in the Clacton area. He said a decision had been made to provide a base in Tendring due to the large number of the hospice's patients and families from the district.

"Clacton is seen as the ideal place to serve the south of Tendring and our first choice is the police station site," he added.

"People in the northern part of the district would probably still find it as convenient to go to Colchester."

Officers at County Hall are due to prepare a report as soon as final figures are known.

Roy Smith, an Essex county and Tendring district councillor, said he backed the idea. "It would be the ideal site," he said. "St Helena Hospice does a wonderful job and this would be of great benefit to Tendring."

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