Police station to be sold to developer

A POLICE station in North Yorkshire is to be sold to a developer and transformed into retirement homes.

Ripon Police Station will be moving to new premises in the town within the next 18 months following an agreement to sell its current site on North Street.

North Yorkshire Police signed a conditional contract with Wetherby-based property development company CFK Developments.

The developer is working with McCarthy & Stone, which hopes to redevelop the site on North Street into retirement accommodation, subject to planning permission.

If the proposals are granted planning approval, North Yorkshire Police will move its police station facility to new premises elsewhere in Ripon. Options for the new location are already under consideration, it said.

Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, Julia Mulligan, said: “I need to make sure that North Yorkshire Police has facilities that are fit-for-purpose for the future, which means disposing of some sites and moving some facilities to new premises that are better suited to our needs.

“The decision to dispose of the land and buildings at North Street has been in place for some time as part of our long-term estates strategy, so I am very pleased that we have signed this contract and can progress according to plan.”