Wilmslow Police Station up for sale for redevelopment

Wilmslow Police Station has been put on the market for an undisclosed sum.

Acting on behalf of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, Legat Owen has been instructed to market the former Wilmslow Police Station site as a prime development opportunity.
Located adjacent to the junction of Beech Lane and Hawthorn Road the 1.38-acre site comprises the 5,824 sq ft police station, a car parking and a yard area.

The redevelopment of the fire station, and neighbouring Fire and Ambulance Stations, is highlighted in the Wilmslow Neighbourhood Plan as a 'key opportunity site' and an important gateway to the town. The plan supports high quality residential development should these sites come forward for
redevelopment.

Speaking about the development, Will Rees, director at Legat Owen, commented: "This is an extremely rare opportunity to acquire a prime site in one of the most sought-after locations in not only Cheshire but also the wider North West region. The town is well connected to the main regional motorway network and is on the main west line from Manchester to London. The site itself is perfectly positioned; close to local schools, retail and leisure facilities, including Hoopers and The Rex Cinema, as well as areas such Little Lindow Green and areas such as the Edge just minutes away – Wilmslow
really does have everything.

"With the current property under used, our client's preference would be to dispose of the majority of the site and retain an area for a smaller new-build police station and a feasibility study has been undertaken to demonstrate how this could be accommodated.

Rees concluded: "The housing market in this area experiencing high demand and competition for this site is likely to be fierce. The site lends is able to accommodate a range of uses including residential, apartment, care home or retirement and we would welcome interested parties to come forward as
soon as possible and submit written offers invited by informal tender by 5.00pm on 18th March 2022.".

Following a public consultation plans to redevelop the station - to create a new, fit for purpose zero carbon station at the site with a view to become fully operational in around Summer 2023 - were approved in November 2021.

Cheshire Constabulary said that the new station will not only help save tens of thousands of pounds in both utilities and maintenance costs but will also allow them to sell the remainder of the unused land and reinvest any money back into local policing to help make Cheshire a safer place to work and visit.

Offers are being invited by informal tender by March 18th 2022.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Andy Brown
Tuesday 1st February 2022 at 10:20 am
Ten minutes ago this was going to be a carbon neutral police station.

I wonder how much of our money was wasted on such a vanity project for it only to be flogged off to a developer.
David Smith
Tuesday 1st February 2022 at 1:32 pm
Another fine example of the Muppets who run our lives round here not getting to grips with one Wilmslow’s problems and missing an opportunity that would benefit our town!

How long and often has the issue of a town centre car park been discussed and put off for a variety of reasons?
This site is PERFECT for a multi-storey car park. It is close to the centre of town and good for anyone entering Wilmslow from the North [Altrincham & M56] or the west [Alderley Edge & Knutsford via the Kings Arms roundabout].
The other perfect location for a LARGE multi-storey car park has always been the existing Broadway Meadow car park for visitors to town from the east and south [A34 bypass & Macclesfield]. All talk though and NO action.
Another future multi-storey car park site would be the existing telephone exchange, next to Waitrose, which I understand one day might require a better high-tech building and so move elsewhere [any knowledge of that anyone?]. This spot would be ideal for arrivals in town from the A34 and Handforth direction.

By the sound of it, the Police Station site isn’t owned by the council. In which case, whatever happened to the act of ‘compulsory purchase’? Doesn’t that happen any more or is it just when the council wants to nick a bit of your garden [or your whole house] in order to widen a road or something equally uninteresting? So this was also part of the Wilmslow Plan eh? Can anyone tell me what was in that to alleviate the parking and traffic problems that we all know are getting worse round here? Getting worse because any spot of land without a house on it has all the property developer ‘vultures’ waiting to pounce and build more houses so that the roads get clogged up with even more residents who drive around town with nowhere to park and leave their cars down anyone’s street whilst they nip to the shops/restaurants etc. or go to work.

Too dangerous to cycle anywhere - the roads are full of vehicles - but it will now be ok because according to Grant Shapps and his new Highway Code, when your 8 year-old child and his 82 year-old granny are out on their bikes, all they have to do is cycle down the middle of the road and when a 46-tonne HGV comes along whose driver has been at the wheel for most of the day or night THEY WILL BOTH BE AS SAFE AS HOUSES - even the ones that haven’t yet been built round here!

The description of Wilmslow by Legat Owen - whoever they might be it doesn’t say - alludes to the connectivity of Wilmslow to the ‘main regional motorway network and the main west line from Manchester to London.’ So come and live in Wilmslow and then drive miles to your place of work along any of the wonderful motorways round here or perhaps even commute hours to London? Then, when you are doing that don’t forget your kids can enjoy the local schools and shops or even play on the new swings that will soon be installed in the renovated play area of Little Lindow Green nestling by the junction of two busy main roads but don’t worry - in about 57 years when we all have electric cars the air will by then be clear of vehicle exhaust fumes and, who knows, perhaps free too from the noise buckets driven by the morons who like to use our local roads as race tracks?

Oh and here’s another couple of missed opportunities to help with our town traffic/parking problems. The Morley Tea Rooms & Garden Centre that has recently been approved for development could also be converted at a relatively low-cost into a Wilmslow Park & Ride. Looking at this Google Maps link:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Raptor+safari+park/@53.3358478,-2.2577183,123m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x487a4cde3ee57ded:0x9cdf3fc1c0747d5c!2sWilmslow!3b1!8m2!3d53.328!4d-2.229409!3m4!1s0x487a535b7162bfef:0x6313b705fcd1e180!8m2!3d53.3247444!4d-2.248074?hl=en

…it would appear the Morley site already has taken advantage of parking many vehicles on the land and is being used, sardine fashion, as an airport car park? Can our council/councillors please explain what their policy is for allowing our part of Cheshire to become an extension of the CITY OF MANCHESTER airport’s car park but not to the advantage of easing the parking problem in our own town where WE live? The airport is owned by the councils in the area but NOT Cheshire and yet we endure all the noise disturbance of westerly departures and easterly arrivals. Plus, the airport has not long ago made it almost impossible for anyone to benefit from living locally by dropping someone off or pick them up after arrival. Similar ‘facilities are edging into the area round Styal. What does councillor Stockton have to say about that? Nothing - I know, because he never says anything about anything that matters but still expects you all to vote for him come election time.

Why was the opportunity not taken when approving planning for the large ‘edge of town’ development [presumably in the ‘Greenbelt’] that is the much-valued Waters complex, similarly to include some sort of area on site for a town ‘Park & Ride’ facility?

The Spring Street multi-storey car park on Water Lane has many poor reviews at the link:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Spring+Street+Car+Park/@53.3267411,-2.2354084,18.87z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x487a4d762b0b8b43:0xb353d513d1e017ea!8m2!3d53.326826!4d-2.2354988?hl=en

…and from what I have seen has lots of spaces reserved for PRIVATE PARKING [on behalf a company whose name you may be familiar with] whose spaces may or may NOT actually be taken up and so are left vacant!

What do you think? Missed opportunities, blinkered thinking, not looking to the future and like Boris who most of us round here have voted in - lots of talk and ideas that never come to much and should be better thought out for the benefit of US - yes, YOU too!
Monica Sim
Tuesday 1st February 2022 at 6:53 pm
Picking up the point about new regulations in the Highway Code allowing cyclists to ride in the middle of the road. What is now going to happen to all of the dedicated cycle lanes that have been created at some huge expense? A dog walking track perhaps?
Marina McHugh
Tuesday 1st February 2022 at 11:20 pm
David Smith. May I applaud and support your brilliant and most detailed account.
Mark Eden
Wednesday 2nd February 2022 at 7:14 am
No police stations, no bobbies on the beat........this is why crime has gone through the roof since the 60s. We are going the way of America. So sad. We need total reform of the whole public sector as it's run by 60's born lefties. We need to go back to basics.
David Hadfield
Wednesday 2nd February 2022 at 7:57 am
Mark Eden ..... "60's born Lefties" ..... what a great quote and summary !
Tony Haluradivth
Monday 7th February 2022 at 8:16 am
The Police are working hard from home to spot any Hate crimes as they trawl the internet for dangerous folk who might accidently "misgender" another. Catching Muggers and Burglars is so 20th Century don't you know. Meanwhile the Police precept is raised AGAIN without so much as a by your leave ( apart from a useless, rigged survey) and we must be willing to subsidise the 30% pay rise for the deputy PCC somehow ;-(
David Hadfield
Monday 7th February 2022 at 6:14 pm
Well said Tony Haluradivth.
You are so correct and accurate with your comments.
Marcus Holt
Monday 7th February 2022 at 7:14 pm
Tony Haluradivth I assume from your comments you have never experienced a hate crime, and I hope you never do. However anyone that has, will almost certainly feel the same as someone who has been burgled or mugged and its throwaway comments like yours that make people believe those hate crimes are insignificant and acceptable. Equally if you bothered to check your facts you will see that both burglary and mugging has improved year on year for the last 4 years however hate crime has increased 18%. Oh and arrest rates and conviction rates are also improved.

The increase in the council tax was voted on and everyone had the opportunity to do so and it came back as a yes.

However I do agree, this salary increase for the deputy is unacceptable and the role should be readvertised as if we are now giving a significantly higher salary there may well be more suitable candidates for the role.
Tony Haluradivth
Friday 11th February 2022 at 10:39 am
Yes I have Marcus I experienced it every day as a young child walking with my parents in the 3rd Reich in Königsberg (now Kaliningrad). We had our windows put in and were spat on but my father had the good sense to evacuate us fast and to not listen to the unfortunate relatives in our family who thought that by "keeping one's head down" and complying things would settle down. Many died in the Death Camps,so I know all about real "Hate Crimes".
Visiting an ex Policeman in Hull and arresting him because a Trans activist was offended by the Gent misgendering them on Twitter is NOT a Hate Crime. Saying that a "Woman has a uterus" is not a Hate Crime in my book but it was to the many people who reported JK Rowling to the Police and expected her to be punished. Selling Women's toiletries (and labelled as such) is NOT a Hate Crime (Boots in Brighton were told to remove gender specific signs by a Police Officer a few years ago). Objecting to sitting next to a hugely obese person on an aircraft is not a Hate Crime but a hapless traveller who requested to move seats on US "Jet Blue" Airlines was accused by Staff and the offended big passenger of "Fattism" and a "Hate Crime".

Just a few examples of phony "Hate Crimes " Marcus. And this week Bristol University Dons have been told to respect a myriad of genders as well as to accomodate the wishes of people who idemtify as felines ...I believe the word is "Nya". As I am sure if the Cat people are disrespected and mis "specied" they too can report a Hate Crime to the Police who are obliged to investigate. I am not talking about Racism Marcus, I am talking about the myriad of petty attention seeking and hurt feelings which can now be classed as Hate Crime and wastes huge resources and money whilst burglaries go unsolved and not investigated. I am talking about common sense Policing and priorites and PCCs not insulting the electorate by publishing useless (rigged) survey results and giving their deputies a 30% pay rise in a Pandemic.
David Hadfield
Friday 11th February 2022 at 4:42 pm
Gosh, Tony, you're so on-the-ball with this lot of nonsense.
Perfect examples of goofyness and trivia ! ..... Well Done once again.
Tony Haluradivth
Saturday 12th February 2022 at 8:11 am
Thanks David ;-)) I feel that even at my advanced years one must keep up to date with the "zetgeist" to enter the cut and thrust of discussion on Alderley Edge.com
It also helps having a plethora of grandchildren who like to keep their old fellow "in the loop".
Stephen Justice
Sunday 20th February 2022 at 10:40 am
If the usual suspects have finished their mutual admiration exchanges, might we return to the subject matter?

It seems that a huge majority of people are at least indifferent to the decision to close what was simply a desk where one could visit to engage with the police - something much more easily and quickly done by phone or even on the internet.

Subject closed perhaps?
Nina Hindley
Monday 21st February 2022 at 6:31 pm
Tony you snowflake.
Tony Haluradivth
Monday 21st February 2022 at 8:39 pm
Nina Hindley I think you are the real snowflake....please dont melt too soon it can be messy