Plans have been submitted to transform a former Knowsley police station which has lain empty for years.
The late 19th-century police station at Derby Street in Prescot was bought by housing association Pierhead Housing, trading as Prima Group, in 2019 after being unused since Merseyside Police left the site in 2011.
Now plans have been submitted to transform the police station into eight flats. Three-bedroom townhouses could also be created in the car park area behind, with plans including the demolition of several outbuildings at the site.
According to planning documents submitted to Knowsley Council last week, the proposal involves a change of use of the police station itself to create four one-bedroom and four two-bedroom flats within the building with six townhouses on land behind.
A design and access statement submitted as part of the application stated that the council’s conservation officer was not keen on new builds at the rear of the site but “would possibly consider a townhouse option more suitable” as it could retain a courtyard aspect in the car park.
The townhouses would be “complimentary” to the main building, with no new access roads required as part of the development, the report said.
Further documents showed plans to have some or “possibly all” of the units as affordable homes, although the applicant has stressed it “does not wish to be tied to a legal agreement or bound by any conditions of planning, to offer any of the proposed housing as affordable homes.”
Prima Group also suggests a figure for section 106 developer contributions in the region of £26k as part of its application.
The proposals are currently open for comments and can be viewed at Knowsley Council’s planning portal online.
According to planning documents submitted to Knowsley Council last week, the proposal involves a change of use of the police station itself to create four one-bedroom and four two-bedroom flats within the building with six townhouses on land behind.
A design and access statement submitted as part of the application stated that the council’s conservation officer was not keen on new builds at the rear of the site but “would possibly consider a townhouse option more suitable” as it could retain a courtyard aspect in the car park.
The townhouses would be “complementary” to the main building, with no new access roads required as part of the development, the report said.
Further documents showed plans to have some or “possibly all” of the units as affordable homes, although the applicant has stressed it “does not wish to be tied to a legal agreement or bound by any conditions of planning, to offer any of the proposed housing as affordable homes.”
Prima Group also suggests a figure for section 106 developer contributions in the region of £26,000 as part of its application.
The proposals are currently open for comments and can be viewed at Knowsley Council’s planning portal online.
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