Plans submitted for 19 flats in vacant Willenhall police station

If approved, the three-storey John Street building could become 16 one-bedroom flats, three two-bedroom flats, each with bathrooms, kitchen and dining areas, plus a community garden, four car parking spaces and bike shed.  

No external alterations have been proposed for the pre-war building which is listed as a non-designated heritage asset.

Applicant Ian Young said any repairs to the exterior will be done inline with existing materials. And internally, much of the layout will remain the same with only minor ‘remodelling’ needed to transform the 1250 square metres of floor space.

The applicant has promised to provide a phone line, staffed seven days a week, in the event of unacceptable behaviour by tenants with swift intervention to resolve any complaints.

West Midlands Police first announced the closure of Willenhall Police Station in 2014. In a bid to save the force money, Willenhall, Aldridge and Bloxwich Police Station were closed.

At the time of the announcement, then Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson, said: “There are 1,300 fewer police officers in West Midlands Police today than there were four years ago. This means some of our buildings are underused and empty much of the time. Buildings are expensive to run and maintain.”