diff --git a/rope/refactor/importutils/module_imports.py b/rope/refactor/importutils/module_imports.py
index c16f5628c..61948871d 100644
--- a/rope/refactor/importutils/module_imports.py
+++ b/rope/refactor/importutils/module_imports.py
@@ -97,13 +97,19 @@ def _get_location(self, stmt):
     def _remove_imports(self, imports):
         lines = self.pymodule.source_code.splitlines(True)
         after_removing = []
+        first_import_line = self._first_import_line()
         last_index = 0
         for stmt in imports:
             start, end = stmt.get_old_location()
-            after_removing.extend(lines[last_index:start - 1])
+            blank_lines = 0
+            if start != first_import_line:
+              for lineno in range(start - 2, last_index - 1, -1):
+                  if lines[lineno].strip() == '':
+                      blank_lines += 1
+                  else:
+                      break
+            after_removing.extend(lines[last_index:start - 1 - blank_lines])
             last_index = end - 1
-            for i in range(start, end):
-                after_removing.append('')
         after_removing.extend(lines[last_index:])
         return after_removing
 
diff --git a/ropetest/refactor/importutilstest.py b/ropetest/refactor/importutilstest.py
index 73f52b822..a6e6651a7 100644
--- a/ropetest/refactor/importutilstest.py
+++ b/ropetest/refactor/importutilstest.py
@@ -865,6 +865,17 @@ def test_sorting_imports_moving_to_top_and_module_docs2(self):
             'import mod\n\n\ndef f():\n    print(mod)\n',
             self.import_tools.sort_imports(pymod))
 
+    def test_get_changed_source_preserves_blank_lines(self):
+        self.mod.write(
+            '__author__ = "author"\n\nimport aaa\n\nimport bbb\n\n'
+            'def f():\n    print(mod)\n')
+        pymod = self.project.get_module('mod')
+        module_with_imports = self.import_tools.module_imports(pymod)
+        self.assertEquals(
+            'import aaa\n\nimport bbb\n\n__author__ = "author"\n\n'
+            'def f():\n    print(mod)\n',
+            module_with_imports.get_changed_source())
+
     def test_sorting_future_imports(self):
         self.mod.write('import os\nfrom __future__ import devision\n')
         pymod = self.project.get_module('mod')