FOR years many people have commented about the disreputable state of Bolton Magistrates' Court.

This newspaper has been among the critics of the building which is wholly unsuitable for the volume of work that goes through it. The court was built in the 1920s and has needed updating for a long time.

New legislation means that it cannot easily accommodate separation of family and criminal courts.

So it is welcome news that there is a business plan for a new court. And not before time, some might say.

Four years ago we reported that the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Lord Chancellor's office, Gary Streeter, was shocked at the state of the court.

But we disagree with Bolton Council's preferred option that the court should be extended into Bolton Central Police Station when it becomes vacant.

We would prefer that a new magistrates' headquarters is built in Cheadle Square.

This option would cost £3.1 million more, but we believe the extra would be fully justified.

This is Bolton's chance to have a state-of-the-art building which would take us well into the next century.

Fears that the current building and police station would be "boarded up" should prove groundless.

These are prime sites in an attractive area and we feel sure private sector partners would find uses for them.

Successive staffs at Bolton Magistrates' Court have endured cramped, unpleasant conditions for too long.

It is to their credit that the court has been run so efficiently.

But now is the time for change and there should be no compromises about building the best courts Bolton can afford.