EXCITING plans to rip down Chester's ugliest building and replace it with a multi-million-pound development are about to be unveiled.

A strict planning brief for the site of the Cheshire Constabulary HQ, over-looking Chester Racecourse, makes a hotel and conference centre or business complex the favourite options.

Plans for the site are to be submitted to council planners in the next few days.

Yesterday, it emerged Chester-based Liberty Properties had been selected to work on the regeneration project.

The appointment ends months of speculation surrounding the 10-storey building, formally known as Castle Esplanade.

The demolition of the police HQ will be welcomed by Cestrians and visitors from far and wide, who have long regarded the site as an eyesore.

The regeneration will come with a £75m project to regenerate The Roodee, which will include stables, riverside apartments, leisure facilities and restaurants.

The appointment of Liberty comes after months of talks between the Cheshire Police Authority, Chester City Counciland Manchester-based consultancy firm Drivers Jonas, who marketed the HQ on behalf of the Constabulary.

Prospective developers were asked to give presentations to city council officers.

Bosses at Liberty, of Lower Bridge Street, Chester, declined to comment yesterday on what they had in store for the police HQ.

But the company is currently building a business park in Swansea, a retail/office and restaurant retail park in Wrexham, a retail park in Lancaster and a B&Q warehouse in Stafford with a fast food restaurant and office space.

According to a planning brief set out by the city council, the site must encourage redevelopment into a multi-purpose site that would create significant employment.

It adds that the site should be reused for 'predominantly commercial purposes'.

Cllr James Latham, portfolio holder for development and regeneration, is pleased a local developer is working on the project .

'The development of this site is one of the most exciting prospects we have in Chester,' he said.

'At this stage, I don't know what this planning application includes, but we would like to think that this developer has the interests of the city at heart.'

Cheshire Police Authority chairman Peter Nurse said: 'Liberty has demonstrated a commitment to working with the city council to en-sure this gateway to the city becomes a landmark development.'