Images reveal inside historic former Darlaston Police Station
These images reveal the current rundown state of the historic former Darlaston Police Station which has sat empty for four years.
The station dates back to around 1899 but was closed in January 2018 by the office of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner as part of cost-cutting measures.
A proposal has been put forward to Walsall Council planning officers by the Broomfield Group to convert the building into 10 new apartments.
But, as part of the application, photographs by consultants Heritage Matters show the current plight of the Grade II Listed Building.
Darlaston Police Station was sold, along with others former facilities in the region, at an auction in 2019 fetching around £660,000.
An application had been put forward back in 2020 for a dozen apartments to be created on the site but that has now been amended to 10.
As part of the redevelopment, an extension at the back of the building will be demolished and some alterations made.
Agents BHB Architects said: “The original building was built in 1899 / 1900 for Staffordshire Country Police to provide a new police station for the area (replacing an earlier station in a house).
“It was designed by local architect Charles William Davies Joynson, who designed several chapels and schools and other notable buildings in Wednesbury where he was mayor from 1898-1900.
“The former police station is a brick construction, with a pitched tiles roof with ornate Victorian features to the front elevation.
“The police station had cells to the rear with an external walled exercise yard; offices to the ground floor frontage and on the first floor, accommodation and rest area for the ‘live-in’ sergeants and constables.
“To the left of the police station, with separate entrance door, was the Police House that would have been occupied by the Inspector and his family.
“This house has traditional ground floor parlour, dining room and kitchen in the rear wing, with family bedrooms on the first floor, and its own cellar.
“The Darlaston Police Station has been empty for a good number of years.
“BHB Architects have been instructed by the owner to apply for planning permission (to amend the planning application that was submitted in 2020 by the previous architect) for the development of the former Darlaston Police Station building.
“The redevelopment plans as proposed, will bring a currently redundant and vacant building back into use in the heart of Darlaston and will provide much needed apartments in the area.
“The proposed scheme addresses the applicant’s requirements that complements the existing layout whilst being in keeping with the style of the overall building.
“The new extensions and alterations to the existing building have been designed following significant appraisal of the development and provides a high quality response to the site constraints.
“The extensions have been designed with considerable focus to ensure that this massing is kept relatively low to the existing building, to ensure it does not become too prominent.
“As such, we believe the proposed extensions and alterations will sit acceptable alongside the existing former Darlaston Police Station building.”
In their heritage statement, consultants Heritage Matters said: “The proposals will not adversely affect this listed heritage asset, the settings of the nearby listed buildings or the conservation area.
“The proposals would preserve the overall special architectural and current historic interest of this listed heritage asset.
“The public benefits of these proposals include: the creation of new residential units for the area; and, the major refurbishment of listed heritage asset in a poor state of repair.”
