Wrexham art gallery could become police station

North Wales Police plans to move its Wrexham HQ from this tower block to a new building at Llay

An art gallery in Wrexham could shut so police can use it as their town centre base.

Wrexham council's executive board has backed moves to lease the Oriel Wrecsam building at the town library to North Wales Police.

The gallery would eventually move to a new arts and culture hub planned for the town.

But concerns have been raised that the gallery would have no home until the new hub opened.

North Wales Police's current tower block offices at Bodhyfryd are to be demolished in 2016, with plans to move to a new HQ in Llay. A new local police station is expected to be set up in the town centre to provide a base for the local policing team.

The Oriel Wrecsam building has been earmarked for this and the force hope to lease it by March 2015, so it could be operational by November 2016.

But a new arts and cultural hub is unlikely be ready for two years after that, heard a council meeting on Tuesday.

Councillor Alun Jenkins expressed his reservations that the gallery would be peripatetic until 2017.

A study is to be held to consider the design for the new cultural centre.

The Oriel Wrecsam building has been earmarked to become the new police station