AN HISTORIC former police station is set to be demolished to make way for the final piece of Blackburn's new orbital road.

Council chiefs will need special permission from the Government to knock down the Georgian grade two-listed building in King Street.

The move has upset civic experts, and although councillors are expected to rubber stamp the £4m road tomorrow getting listed building consent could yet hold up the scheme.

Blackburn with Darwen transport policy boss Chris Hayward said: "The main obstruction could be the police station, because it is a listed building.

"We will need need permission from the Secretary of State."

When it is completed the road will link up with the £12m Freckleton Street bridge and provide the final piece in the orbital route around the town. The earliest work could begin is 2009.

As revealed in the Lancashire Telegraph, the project will require up to 200 dead bodies to be moved from St Peter's cemetery, and other buildings in the way, including builders' merchant Byrom Supplies and Blackburn Spiritualist church, will be bought up and demolished.

The former police station, which was built in 1830, was listed in 1987.

It has been empty for the past 20 years and fallen into disrepair.

But English Heritage has expressed concern about it being knocked down and Richard Prest, chairman of Blackburn Civic Society, said it should be preserved.

He said: "The problem is that it's been left empty and neglected for so long.

"But there is a lot of affection for the building.

"It's quite handsome and we would much prefer to see it left undisturbed.

"It would be better to have a larger ring road with that in the inside.

"Normally you would need a very strong case to demolish a listed building - you would normally have to work around it.

"There are very few buildings like this in Blackburn.

"It's one of the best buildings in the area because of its history."