A PLANNING application has been submitted for the development of a purpose-built new police station in Earlestown.

Lodged by Merseyside Police and the region’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Emily Spurrell, the proposals aim to site the new station 50 metres northwest of the existing station on Market Street, located in what is currently a car park.

The custom-built police station will be designed for modern policing, fully accessible to the public and will be more efficient and sustainable.

READ > 'Extremely positive feedback' as Church Square shopping centre close to capacity

Situated on Market Street, the police station will boast a public enquiry office with a waiting area, an interview room and meeting room, as well as offices, a multi-faith room, storage space and an operational car park.

With long calls for a new station in Newton and Earlestown, the proposals have been designed with to act as a base for engaging with the community, making it easier for local people to report crimes and seek help.

The plans for the new police station, which is located within the Earlestown Conservation Area, have been designed to be sympathetic to the town’s historic character, reflecting the traditional terraced layout with a double gable-ended slate roof and using red-brown brick.

If approved, the new police station will replace the current building which was opened in the 1970s and is now outdated and inefficient and requires extensive repairs and maintenance. Officers and staff will be able use the new police station around the clock, with the improved facilities better supporting their wellbeing.

It is another step in the Police and Crime Commissioner’s 12-year plan to continue to modernise and update Merseyside Police’s stations and buildings to ensure officers and staff are in the right places and best equipped to serve communities across the region.

Merseyside’s Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell said: “Newton-le-Willows police station is in a great position to serve its community, but sadly the existing building has reached the end of its lifespan and is in dire need of modernisation.

“Following a significant amount of work to review all the options, it has been assessed that it will be more cost effective to replace the current building with a new high-quality, accessible, custom-built station which is fit for purpose and more sustainable.

“I’m pleased that as part of our 12-year plan to transform and modernise Merseyside Police’s buildings, we can now submit a carefully thought through application to take these plans forward, proposing a new police station which is respectful of the rich cultural heritage of the area on the same site as the existing building.

“We believe this is the best solution to ensure officers and staff have the right facilities in the right location to serve the community of Newton-le-Willows.”

Chief Constable Serena Kennedy added: “It is vital officers and staff are able to work from stations that are fit for purpose so that we can meet the needs of the communities we serve.

“The PCC’s commitment to refreshing the policing estate is a welcome boost to our officers and staff who have been working from aging police stations that are no longer fit for purpose.

“The building of the new station at Newton-le-Willows, a facility purpose-built for the modern world, reinforces our commitment to putting local communities at the heart of everything we do now, and in the future.”