Flats plan for Newport's former police station
A former police station will be turned into flats, if planning permission is granted.
The building in Newport has stood empty since West Mercia Police moved out in 2013. An application has been submitted to Telford & Wrekin Council to convert it into two flats.
The ground floor will contain five bedrooms and the first floor will have four bedrooms.
But neighbouring residents in Wellington Road are waiting to hear more details about the plans and more specific information about who the flats will be sold to.
Eric Carter, who lives opposite the building and is also a borough councillor, said: "The barriers have gone up around it so people have been asking me what was happening.
"I called the council who said the application was for a flat of multiple occupancy. I said 'does that mean for students or other people from other parts of Telford'. They said 'we do not know at this stage. We cannot be specific'."
"I said 'if it was for students I would not have any objections because it has ample parking'.
"If it was not for students I would need to look closely at what was proposed and then talk to the council to see what would be the outcome.
"I will be watching carefully to see what happens. Where there is a potential to house young people safely and with parking off road it is sensible to do so.
"Residents are glad that it is coming back to life again. There is always a threat of vandalism with an empty building.
"I have lived next to it since 1977 and was used to it being a police station and I am sad that it is no longer a police station. The police have decided to sell it so what we need to do is make sure we make best use of it."
The station closed in October 2013 as part of West Mercia Police's plans to deal with £20 million of cuts. The 1,852 sq ft site was put on the market for £225,000. Property firm TSR have not confirmed yet how much it eventually sold for. Police officers and the force's safer neighbourhood team had been using the station as a temporary base.
But they finally moved out at the end of September when West Mercia struck a deal with the Burton Borough School to use facilities at its Audley Avenue site as a community policing post. The post is not accessible to the public.
