PLANS for a new £25 million police and ambulance HQ in South Marston look set to be approved second time around by council planners.

The application by the police authority was thrown out by Swindon Council planning committee in January.

Concerns were raised by South Marston Parish Council that the police station would cause traffic problems in the village and on the nearby A420 Oxford Road.

A revised application has now been submitted which includes improved access on to the A420.

And the police authority is confident the scheme will now get the go ahead.

Police authority member and borough councillor Derek Benfield (Lab, Covingham and Nythe) said: "I'm very confident it will go through because we have addressed all the reservations that the parish council put forward.

"We've tweaked the traffic a bit, we didn't really consult the local people as well as we could have done first time around and that was remiss."

The application is expected to go before the planning committee next month.

If approved work will start before the end of the year and it could open in January 2005.

The new building is planned to replace Westlea and Fleming Way police stations, which are considered inadequate for the growing needs of Swindon.

The building will also serve as a base for the ambulance service but Wiltshire Fire Brigade has ruled out moving there.

The complex will be built on nine acres of fields next to the Gable Cross roundabout in between the A420 and the railway track.

It is to be funded under the Govern-ment's private finance initiative scheme.

That means it will be built and maintained by a private contractor and paid for by the police authority over a period of 25 or 30 years like a mortgage.