Works starts on former police station site
BDNWork has begun to turn a former police station and courthouse into offices, retails units and accommodation.
The £3.5m plans for the site in Ulverston, Cumbria, were approved by Westmorland and Furness Council in 2023.
Developer Building Design Northern (BDN) said it expected the redevelopment to be completed by 2028.
Phase one of the scheme will convert what was the police station into offices for BDN, which currently works from another location in the town, as well as create nine apartments for short stays from the jail cells.
The second stage will see the conversion of the former courthouse and its surrounding courtyard of ex-garages into a restaurant pavilion with a range of retail businesses, as well as other short-stay apartments on the upper floors.
Planning consent is also in place for three houses to stand within the grounds.
The site has been unoccupied since police left in 2015.
'Sorry state'
BDN director Joe Warner said the firm was "breathing new life" into a building "that has stood in a state of disrepair for so long".
"This was once such a stunning building and – given its position on the edge of the town providing a distinctive welcome point for people coming into the area – it's been sad to see it in such a sorry state, becoming a magnet for anti-social behaviour," he added.
The start of work comes as the council decides on an application regarding noise and landscaping details, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
The project has been backed by the Ulverston Civic Society, which in 2023 described the plot as being on the "main approach into the town".
It said: "The quality of design and repairs to be undertaken reverse much of the damage that has been allowed to take place.
"We feel these plans will transform the very depressing feel this site currently projects."
