Alder Hey unveils plans to take on former police station

A former police station has been earmarked to become offices for Liverpool’s world leading children’s hospital.

A planning application has been lodged with Liverpool Council to repurpose Eaton Road police station to accommodate administration staff housed at Alder Hey Hospital. The two-storey 1970s building has been vacant for some time and the application will bring it back into use.

Should the proposals be signed off, it will mark the latest step in the disposal of a former Merseyside Police site first mooted a decade ago.

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According to planning documents made public by the city council, the site on Eaton Road is home to a two-storey 1970s concrete framed building with detached garage and associated parking. The police station was situated on the ground floor with offices to the first.

It is thought to have been vacant for at least 12 months having been sold by the force to the Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Trust. Given its proximity to the main hospital site, it has been identified as a “desired location” for the trust to move staff into.

The documents said: “The proposal is to remodel and refurbish the existing building to accommodate administration staff from several different departments currently housed at the main Alder Hey Hospital site, thus giving back much needed space within the hospital. The proposal include a new platform lift to the first floor as well as making good all access ramps to maintain level access.

“Externally to the rear of the site, the new office accommodation will benefit from a new paved terraced seating area for staff. There are 13 existing car park spaces to the North of the site and 36 spaces to the South making 49 in total.”

It is thought the reuse of the vacant building as an administration block for Alder Hey will “enhance the area by taking a redundant building and giving it new purpose.” According to a design and access statement submitted with the application, the space that will be created within the main hospital site will be taken advantage of by Alder Hey Trust and will be incorporated within their site wide strategy.

Disposal of unused or lesser operational police sites has been a strategy to raise vital funds to ensure frontline services can be maintained. In 2014, it was first suggested Eaton Road could be taken off the force’s books and into Alder Hey control, with a police station considered as part of the hospital campus.

A date has yet to be established for the plans to be considered by Liverpool Council’s planning department.

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