Deal for derelict city police station is ‘just days away’

Plans to finally overhaul a derelict former police station which went from tackling crime to being a magnet for trouble could be announced later this year.

Farringdon Hall Police Station, in Primate Road, has been empty since 2015, when it was closed by Northumbria Police due to budget cuts.

Since then it has become a target for vandalism and flytipping, and was the scene of a major fire in February 2020.

But it is hoped a deal with new owners, who took over the land in November 2019, could see the building and surrounding area redeveloped.

The news has been welcomed by Sunderland City Councillor Phil Tye, who has previously warned a child could die at the site if something wasn’t done.

“We have been waiting for far too long for something to happen to the site,” said Cllr Tye. “But I’m pleased to say that we are only days away from a deal being signed which will be the catalyst for the prospect of a comprehensive re-development of the area.

“I’m sure once the deal is over the line, residents will be pleased with what is being considered for the site and I look forward to working with the new site owners to make sure a development comes forward that will benefit the ward and beyond.”

Concerns were raised about safety at the site after the former police station became a popular haunt for “urban explorers” – groups or individuals who enter abandoned buildings and post videos and pictures of their expeditions to websites and social media.

Previous efforts to prevent trespassers accessing it by boarding it up with metal sheets reportedly failed after the hoardings themselves were stolen.

According to estate agency Sanderson Weatherall, the land was sold in 2016 for about £530,000.

Proposals were submitted to Sunderland City Council that year to convert the former cop shop into a gym, but the application was later withdrawn.

In 2018 city councillors heard the building was slated for demolition, although work is yet to commence.

C ll rT yes aid :“After months of hard work I’m delighted to say that plans to transform the old Farringdon Hall Police Station and adjacent land are almost ready to be revealed.”