HUNDREDS of new jobs will be created in a £10 million development linked to the building of a new police headquarters.

Bolton police's new showpiece headquarters is to be part of the multi-million pound redevelopment of land, pictured, near the former Burnden Park football ground.

The scheme will see the new police building sharing the remaining unoccupied land with a retail warehouse and a large leisure facility.

The land's owners, Grangefern Properties Ltd, and the Greater Manchester Police Authority have submitted a joint planning application to Bolton Council.

If successful the scheme will complete the regeneration of the area, which sees the opening of Woolworth's Big W store and the current construction of a restaurant and travel agent.

David Short, group planning divisional director for the Emerson Group, which is dealing with development on behalf of Grangefern Properties, estimates that the project could produce up to 100 permanent jobs in addition to the several hundred people moving into the new police headquarters.

Two companies have already shown interest in moving into the proposed retail warehouse and the Emerson Group is beginning to market the leisure building.

Traffic and retail reports are currently being submitted to the council and Mr Short hopes councillors will make a decision on the plan by the end of next month.

In the meantime plans are being drawn up for the new police headquarters and should be finalised by next month.

The building is one of 17 being planned by Greater Manchester Police throughout the force and will replace the current cramped headquarters at Le Mans Crescent.

Building at the site off Scholey Street could start by August next year and officers and their support staff could begin moving into the new headquarters by the end of 2003.