Former Chipping Norton police station to be turned into housing

The Chipping Norton police station has been vacant since June 2019 after it was sold at auction.

The sale was part of a larger programme by Thames Valley Police to reduce costs and improve efficiency by consolidating its operations and disposing of stations.

Now, the Banbury Road station – which opened in 1865 – is set to be converted into houses and flats.

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The station and outbuilding will become three houses and four flats, plus the construction of a single house.

Proposals came up as a delegated item at a recent West Oxfordshire District Council (WODC) meeting.

WODC’s uplands area planning sub-committee met on Monday afternoon, with S106 conditions approved.

A planning, design and access statement prepared by Built Form Resource on behalf of the applicant, Nimbus Property Developments, read: “In brief, the proposals are to convert the former station and outbuilding to residential use for seven dwellings, to construct an additional dwelling, for a total of eight.”

The former police station in Chipping Norton. Picture: Ed Nix

Chipping Norton Parish Council had no objections to the plans.

The consultee comment it offered WODC said the proposal is to be welcomed, if more parking is made available, adding ‘they are only giving eight units when there should be more’.

Meanwhile, three letters of support were submitted.

One of those letters said developers could recognise the history of the building by keeping one of the windows, creating a statue or memorial, or even seeking a blue plaque.

News of the police station conversion comes after it was revealed the front counter at Witney police station is among three in Oxfordshire which are set to permanently close.

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The Welch Way counter joins those in Bicester and Kidlington which will shut from August 30.

These counters have been closed since March 2020 due to Covid-19, with the exception of Kidlington which reopened following an initial closure.

Prior to the pandemic, the Witney front counter was open from 10am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Front counters at Oxford, Abingdon and Banbury will be retained, however there may be changes to opening hours.

TVP reported that ‘more and more’ people are contacting the force online and by phone.

Non-emergency crimes or incidents, anti-social behaviour and applying for firearms licensing can all be reported online.