Work Begins on £3.5 Million Transformation of Former South Cumbrian Police Station

Work has officially started on a £3.5 million redevelopment of a former police station in South Cumbria that has stood empty for more than a decade.

The historic building in Ulverston, originally built in 1881, is being transformed into a mixed-use development featuring office space, short-stay accommodation and food and drink facilities.

Building Design Northern (BDN), which is leading the project, said the redevelopment will breathe new life into the prominent Neville Street site on the edge of the town centre. The company plans to relocate its North West team into the renovated building once work is completed.

Under the plans, former jail cells inside the police station will be converted into boutique accommodation, while additional serviced apartments will be created throughout the building. The old courthouse section will feature a new restaurant pavilion and commercial units developed from former garages surrounding a courtyard area.

The first phase of the project will focus on renovating the main police station building into office space and nine luxury apartments for short stays. This stage is expected to take between 12 and 18 months.

A second phase will later redevelop the former courthouse and surrounding buildings, while separate planning permission is also in place for three new houses within the site grounds.

Joe Warner, a director at BDN who grew up in Barrow, described the project as a personal mission and said it was rewarding to restore a building that had fallen into disrepair and become a hotspot for anti-social behaviour.

Construction work is being carried out by Danny Barlow Construction, with the full redevelopment expected to be completed by 2028.

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