Newmains News Ex-police office could be church
Place of worship plans at surplus property on market
An abandoned police station in Newmains may finally be getting used again.
Plans to change the former police office on the Main Street into a place of worship were submitted to North Lanarkshire Council last week.
A decision will be made in due course but the abandoned site has long been a talking point in the area.
Last year, seven former Lanarkshire police stations were put up for sale – with the Newmains nick the cheapest of those on offer.
Police Scotland said it was hoped the sale of the stations would bring in funds and cut costs, with prices ranging from £40,000 to £150,000.
The Newmains office’s £40,000 price tag is in comparison to the offers over £150,000 expected for the top-of-the-range Strathaven premises.
How e v e r, Newma i n s councillor Robert McKendrick fears parking may be a problem if the conversion happens.
He said: “F rom the information I have, there has been no notice of the application in the local press so there could be quite a few people in the community who are unaware of the application.
“Some people who have noticed the application on the internet have contacted me to say the parking situation may be a problem, while others have said they would be concerned about a youth club being so close to the busy road outside the building.”
Whilst there was a backlash following the closure of the local sites, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw, Clare Adamson defended the Sc o t t i s h Government’s position.
She said: “The reality of the situation is that recorded crime in Scotland is at a 42-year low.
“The number of police officers in Scotland’s communities remains historically high, and well in excess of the numbers when the SNP were first elected in 2007.
“The Scottish Government have also protected the police revenue budget, with an extra £100 million being invested over the next five years, in addition to £55 million in reform funding in 2016-17.
Chief Superintendent Roddy Irvine said: “As part of Police Scotland’s current assessment of their estate, a number of properties are being offered for sale in the Lanarkshire area.
“These properties have not been used for operational policing for some time.
“By making the best use of the property we retain, we will be more efficient and make better use of public funds that can be reinvested into frontline policing.
“There will be no change to the way that we deliver our local policing service and our communities remain at the heart of everything we do.”