A FORMER courthouse could be turned into a base for auctioneers and a museum housing historic artefacts.

Timeline Auctions, currently based in Brentwood, has submitted plans for the former magistrates’ court on Main Road, Dovercourt.

The company also want to build a caretaker’s living quarters on site.

Chief executive Brett Hammond said the location was perfect for the company, which is looking to expand.

“It is an immaculate building with a lot of space and we have grown out of the building we currently use, so are looking to move some of the administration away from there,” he said.

“Harwich seems to be a reasonable area at the moment in regards to cost of property and the availability of the local labour force.

“We would be hoping to move some of our operation to Harwich in the next six to 12 months."

Last year, Tendring Council gave permission for the building to be converted into a music school, but the plans fell flat when applicant Barry Myhre’s interest cooled – but Mr Hammond believes the court would be ideal for his business.

He said: “There are two courtrooms – one of which would be made into a museum where our collectors could display their items, which we would probably put on public display.

“We have got collections of all sorts of coins, and artefacts from ancient Roman, Greek and Egyptian periods which we would probably open up, depending on the interest.

“The other would be used as a broadcasting room, with offices and a place for photography."