Government has submitted plans to renovate two unused buildings in the City of Hamilton, including the former police station.

According to planning applications received by the Planning Department on March 13, Government intends to carry out work at both the Allen Hurst Building on Parliament Street, which used to house the police station, and the Teucer House building on Cedar Avenue.

The Allen Hurst Building has been unused since the Police moved into the Dame Lois Browne Evans building, while Teucer House had housed the Department of Education, Probation Services and Teen Services before falling out of use.

It suffered extensive damage in an October 2013 fire.

The Teucer Building application proposes the removal of the roof, along with internal walls, doors and partitions, all of which were fire damaged.

New support beams and columns would be installed, with the rest of the building restored to its original state.

The application for the former Allen Hurst Building is more extensive, with the single-storey northern side of the building extended to a four-storey height, matching the southern side of the building.

Almost all internal walls would be removed, creating open office space.

Additionally, the plans include the installation of an elevator and new bathrooms on every floor.

Government announced last March that it would review its ageing buildings, including Teucer House, the Allen Hurst Building and the Bishop Spencer School.

Then-Public Works Minister, Patricia Gordon Pamplin, said at that time: “The importance of properly planned maintenance has been highlighted by ongoing discoveries of mould. Most major Government buildings were constructed at least 30 years ago.

“Over the past 20 to 30 years, many of our facilities have received only basic reactive maintenance and no planned or programmed maintenance.

“This practice has resulted in a portfolio of buildings that are currently facing major refurbishment needs, with their physical plant and major systems having reached the end of their life cycle.

“The evaluation as to whether such buildings should be refurbished or even demolished will be assessed through the Estates Management Plan.”