Apartment plans for former Stone police station
A night in Stone's custody cells may be a thing of the past, but a more permanent accommodation opportunity could be on the cards for the former police station.
Staffordshire Police moved out of the Radford Street station several years ago and it was put up for sale.
The police downsized to a post at Stone Town Council’s Station Road offices – and now their former base could be converted into apartments if plans are passed by Stafford Borough Council.
A planning statement submitted as part of the change of use application said: “The former Stone Police Station has been vacant since July 2017.
“The proposed development would provide a residential development in a sustainable location that would utilise vacant buildings. It would also ensure that a historic building within a conservation area is put to a viable use that is consistent with its conservation.
"The proposal would provide seven apartments – of which two would be one bedroom units and five would be two bedroom units – within the main building that fronts Radford Street and would also convert and extend an outbuilding in the yard to the rear to provide a single three bedroom dwelling.
"The proposal would also involve the demolition of an outbuilding in the south west corner of the site in order to facilitate car parking to serve the development.
Complexity
“Access would be provided off Northesk Street by way of modifications to an existing access point, which would lead directly into the rear courtyard wherein 14 car parking spaces would be provided.”
The Radford Street station car park has previously been run by Stone Town Council as a free parking facility for town workers and visitors.
The station was one of eight in the county put up for sale by Staffordshire Police in 2019. Others were located in Eccleshall, Blythe Bridge, Newcastle, Stoke, Tunstall, Kinver and Wombourne.
Speaking at the time of the sales Staffordshire’s Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis, who is due to stand down next month, said: “While police buildings are still needed, most people want to see more officers out and about in communities and policing now has the right tools to help that happen.
“There’s no question that budgets are tight and the growing complexity of policing needs evermore investment to keep up.
“The properties I am selling were built in a different era and are surplus to the requirements of policing today.”
