A former hospital building in Cirencester is being demolished to make way for new car parking spaces.

Cotswold District Council has agreed to pull down the empty Old Memorial Hospital to create an additional 33 spaces in the centre of town.

The building, which is owned by the council, is located on a site which includes the Sheep Street public car park with 80 spaces. The other buildings on the site - cottages and a World War 2 air raid shelter - will remain intact.

Subject to planning permission being granted, the work would begin during the summer of 2019 with a view to making the new spaces available for use by the autumn.

The Council estimates that the cost of the demolition and subsequent car park works will be in the region of £682,000, and it is estimated that this will be recouped within ten years through the increase in parking revenue at the site.

Cotswold District Council cabinet member for the Cirencester Parking Project Cllr Mark MacKenzie-Charrington said: "The Old Memorial Hospital building has been empty for almost six years and the average annual maintenance costs are increasing. In fact, we believe that the net cost of maintaining the building's structural stability is likely to be about £230,000 over the next ten years.

"We also investigated the option of refurbishing the building for commercial use, but this would involve extensive and expensive works, including the removal of asbestos.

"Moreover, it would take at least 17 years to recoup the estimated £1.83 million refurbishment costs and this would lengthen if some of the rental space was vacant during that period.

"All in all, we believe that demolition is the best option as it will deliver much needed parking spaces in the town centre, and I am sure that this will be much appreciated by many motorists and traders.

"I should also point out that, together with other plans, this would help mitigate the loss of parking if we gain planning approval for the development of a multi-storey car park at the Waterloo site, and also gives us the opportunity to look at longer term future development opportunities, including parking options."

The district council has already rejected the idea of creating a park and ride service in Cirencester, saying it would raise environmental issues. It favours a multi-storey car park on the town's Waterloo site instead.

Martin Jones of engineers Infrastructure Design Studio in Cirencester has suggested the underutilised lanes of the "inner bypass" dual carriageway next to the Abbey grounds would make a good car parking area, as a "park and stride," either for workers long stay or short stay for visitors.

They could then walk safely over a beautiful bridge into the town centre, providing access to the Roman Wall and opening up the river from the Grove Lane side. He said it would be relatively cheap to build as most of the surface is already there.