Update on Former Renfrew Police Station Restoration Works
Renfrewshire Council · 13 February 2025
Back to Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board — 13 February 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 13 February 2025 Report by: Chief Executive Heading: Update on former Renfrew Police Station restoration works 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide an update on urgent repairs carried out at the former Renfrew Police Station on Inchinnan Road, Renfrew, and to seek approval from the Finance, Resources, and Customer Services Policy Board to allocate funds from the Renfrew Common Good Fund for additional urgent repairs and maintenance. 1.2 The work completed to date includes clearing the gutters on the roof and securing all windows and entry points. Future work will involve the removal of rot and asbestos within the building and the demolition of the former cells and offices at the rear of the building. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members of the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board: (i) Note the contents of this report; (ii) Authorises the Head of Facilities and Property Services to award a contract for urgent repairs and maintenance works at the Former Renfrew Police Station, Inchinnan Road, Renfrew; (iii) Authorises an additional £153,000 for the works to be funded from the Renfrew Common Good fund.
Page 2
3. Background 3.1 The former Renfrew Police Station dates from 1910 and was designed by architect Alexander Nisbet Paterson. The two-story building, in the Baronial Revival style, is Category B listed and is held as part of the Renfrew Common Good. Until June 2012, it was leased by the police, who subsequently moved to new premises on Station Road. Since then, the building has remained vacant. 3.2 Efforts have been made to find a new use for the building, but these have been unsuccessful to date. This included a bid to the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund to develop a Health and Learning Hub in Renfrew town centre. The proposal aimed to refurbish the former police station and the neighbouring century-old Victory Baths to create a high-quality community facility. Despite widespread community support, the bid was unsuccessful, even though feedback indicated that the Council had submitted a strong proposal that closely aligned with the key aims of the fund. 3.3 A report to the Finance, Resources, and Customer Services Policy Board on 23 November 2023 provided a full background on the recent history of the building and approved the allocation of £110k from the Renfrew Common Good to fund urgent repairs and maintenance work. The identified work included clearing the gutters on the roof, removing rot within the building, and securing all windows and entry points. 4. Progress to Date 4.1 To date the following works have been completed at a cost of c.£25k: Standing water removed from the roof. Unblocking of all the outlets to ensure the drainage system is operating to clear the standing water. Resecuring broken skylights. Sitex added to all remaining windows to block off any access and help keep the building wind and watertight. 5. Future planned works 5.1 As outlined in the 23 November 2023 Board paper, there are significant areas of dry and wet rot throughout the building, which must be removed to facilitate any future development. Estimates for the internal rot removal work are around £60,000. Additionally, asbestos in the building's basement also requires removal. 5.2 While investigating the rot, officers uncovered a further issue in the offices at the rear of the building. Due to water ingress, the beams supporting the roof of the offices have become unstable and are at risk of collapsing in the future. It should be noted that the offices were built at a later date than the original sandstone building and are of little architectural merit. 5.3 Officers requested a demolition contractor to estimate the cost of demolishing the rear offices. Their investigation concluded that demolishing only the rear offices would not be viable and instead recommended that the former cells at the rear of the building should also be demolished.
Page 3
5.4 Discussions with architects have confirmed that demolishing the rear section of the building as part of a larger redevelopment plan would enhance the site's economic viability, given the constraints related to size and use. The architects recommended that this space be utilised for new development, which would improve the site's overall functionality. 5.5 Officers are therefore proposing the demolition of the rear buildings, as this step is necessary for safety, future development, and to prevent further deterioration. This approach will better preserve the more historically significant part of the building, namely the sandstone structure at the front. 5.6 It has estimated that it will cost around £80,000 to demolish the rear offices and cell block area. When other costs such as asbestos investigation and removal, 24-hour manned surveillance of the construction site, professional fees, contingencies, site management, welfare, site setup, and skips are factored in, the total estimated cost for the outstanding works (when added to the estimated cost for the rot removal) is around £238,000. These costs are subject to change once work begins on site, due to the potential discovery of unforeseen issues. 5.7 As £110,000 was approved at the 23 November 2023 Board for repair work, and £25,000 has already been spent, approval is now sought for an additional £153,000 from the Renfrew Common Good to fund the rot removal and demolition work noted above. 5.8 At the Planning and Climate Change Policy Board on the 5th of November 2024, Listed Building Consent (LBC) was secured for the rot removal and demolition works subject to various planning conditions. 6. Next Steps 6.1 Subject to approval from this Board to use monies from the Renfrew Common Good for the restoration and maintenance works, the following steps are proposed: The proposed strip out of rot, asbestos removal works (if required) and demolition of the rear buildings will commence Spring 2025. Once the above works are complete, the Council’s Estate’s team will regularly oversee the building. Any issues will be raised under the Corporate Asset Management Information Systems (CAMIS) and dealt with by Facilities and Property Services (Hard FM). Officers will continue to seek to find a viable and sustainable use for the building, with the aim of securing its future. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The cost of the required works are estimated at £238k, with approval sought for this cost to be funded from cash balances held within the Renfrew Common Good Fund. Also, further £25k already spent so c.£263k total. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None.
Page 4
3. Community/Council Planning – None arising directly from this report. 4. Legal – The property is owned by Renfrew Common Good. 5. Property/Assets – The former Renfrew Police Office is owned by Renfrew Common Good and currently maintained by Renfrewshire Council as part of the wider portfolio and public building repairs. 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights – The recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – All improvements are managed and maintained to comply with Health and Safety legislation with guidance given by Corporate Health and Safety. 9. Procurement – Required works will be contracted under the Framework for the Provision of Trades Contractors (2021 – 2025) 10. Risk – Without works being undertaken, the property will continue to fall into a further state of repair and the roof of the rear offices buildings are a potential health and safety issue. 11. Privacy Impact – None. 12. Climate Change – None. 13. Children’s Rights – None 14. COSLA Policy Position – None. List of Background Papers – None. Author: Euan Shearer – Regeneration and Place Manager Email: euan.shearer@renfrewshire.gov.uk