Last updated at 14:56, Sunday, 02 December 2012

BARROW’S £6.5m police station is set to move a step closer to reality.

Cumbria police is pushing ahead with plans for a new facility in the town and plans for the station are set to go to Barrow Borough Council’s planning committee on Tuesday. And council officers have recommended proposals for the station, in Phoenix Way off Walney Road, be given the green light.

The station is expected to cost around £6.5m and police chose the site due to its good public transport links and easy access to both Barrow and Ulverston.

The new station will provide a base for 270 staff along with a separate garage at the site for maintaining the fleet.

In a report prepared for the meeting, planning officer Jason Hipkiss described outline plans for the station.

He said: “Online government tender documents indicate a build cost of up to £6.5m so this would be a significant inward investment into the borough by the police authority.

“The application is outline only, but an illustrative layout indicates an L-shaped building set to the northern part of the site with staff parking to the south, visitor parking along the northern boundary and operational parking to the front.”

There will be a custody complex with 14 cells in the building and up to 270 staff will be based there.

In a statement prepared for the committee, a Cumbria police spokesman said the site will be accessible to the public.

He said: “It will reflect the corporate image of the police authority and the constabulary at the same time as providing an iconic structure to enhance the area by using local materials, decoration, lighting, colour and texture.”

The building will be around eight metres high and no more than three storeys.

Work is expected to get under way on April 1 next year and be completed by May 31, 2015.

The existing town centre station, in Market Street, will be used for office space and storage for the operations team.

The committee will meet at 2.30pm on Tuesday at Barrow Town Hall and will decide whether or not to grant outline planning permission.

First published at 16:17, Friday, 30 November 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk