Homes plans for old police station

Police authority bosses have decided to sell off the 160-year-old ex-police station site at Bowgreave as part of budget savings.

They have submitted plans to Wyre Council for the change of use of the building, along with the demolition of the nearby police vehicle garage and its replacement with another home.

The police station, which has been in use by law enforcers since the Victorian era, closed in 2003 when Garstang’s new police station opened on Park Hill Road in a former bathroom and plumbing showroom.

After its closure as a police station it was belieced to have been used for some time as a base for an armed response team.

A report submitted with the planning application says the police authority has “a strategic objective to dispose of the former Garstang police station.

“The existing property is no longer suitable for modern policing, requires considerable capital investment for refurbishment and modernisation and is now surplus to requirements.”

The building is believed to be one the oldest police properties in Lancashire. Nine years ago the Courier reported how detailed historical documents about the building had gone missing from police headquarters some time ago.

A police authority spokeswoman said: “Should the application prove successful, the intention would be to sell the land via auction or a local estate agent as has been common practice with previous estates. We expect a decision regarding the application to be made in September.”