Former police station and workhouse to be sold in online auction
It has been a workhouse and a place of law. And now this historic building is ready for its next chapter.
The former Sedgley police station, which was originally the village workhouse, is to be sold at an online auction next month.
The sale of the Vicar Street building is the best hope of bringing the landmark building back into use, according to Bond Wolfe Auctions, the firm bringing the property to the market in its next auction on March 31.
It says that a host of alternative uses for the building – including apartments, community or meeting space, offices or even hospitality – have all been suggested for the building which has a guide price of £260,000.
It was among two dozen police stations in the region selected for closure three years ago. Police chiefs argued at the time that many of the buildings were under-occupied and the money could be better spent on frontline officers.
Ian Tudor, managing director of Bond Wolfe Auctions, said: “A successful sale of the old station building will secure more money for the police service in the West Midlands and find a new use for a site that would otherwise be in danger of ending up derelict.
“This is an attractive and historic building with parts dating back to the 1730s and we are confident it will attract considerable interest from developers and investors from across the UK and abroad.
Important
"It is important is to secure a future use for the building before it starts to decay through lack of use.
“Successful sales of police stations and old beat offices over the last decade have seen scores of empty buildings given a new lease of life.
“That is surely what most local people will want for the former Sedgley police station.
“It represents a part of Sedgley’s history. Our understanding is that the oldest section of the building was part of the Dudley Workhouse until it was converted for use as a police station in the 1860s.
“It is close to Sedgley’s town centre and next to All Saints Church. Altogether a very enticing proposition for any developer.”
Sedgley Police Station was due to close in the summer of 2019 but the last officers based there only left finally in October last year to move to Dudley Fire Station as part of a shared-premises scheme. The station had not been open to the public for some time before that.
The sale has been branded “diabolical” by Sedgley Conservative ward councillor Michael Evans who believes the station should be kept in the community. He says police levels have fallen since it closed.
