Plans to turn old police station into 'industrial chic' food hall will 'bring vibrancy to heart of Poulton'

Wyre Council has received a planning application setting out the full proposals for the future of the former Market Place police station which, if they are successful, will be renamed Bobby's Yard.

The building will be turned into a mixed-use retail and leisure development with a food and shopping hall. Garages to the rear of the station will be demolished and a two-storey extension built in their place, and an outdoor seating area will be set up.

A statement submitted to the council by Stanton Andrew Architects said the new design of the station, which lies within the Poulton conservation area, would 'integrate the old with the new'.

The station's unique archway entrance would be kept in place, while the building's interior would be redesigned and its roof replaced with glass skylights to create an 'industrial chic' appearance.

A large dining hall would be the focal point of the development, positioned at the end of a public thoroughfare surrounded by retail spaces. On market days, additional stalls would be set up in the thoroughfare.

The police station was bought by Choice Hotels in February last year, and a public consultation about its future took place in November where, the architects said, positive feedback was given.

They said: "It is the general belief of the clients, who have been local business owners in the town for a number of years, and the design team that the overall development can help bring vibrancy and additional life back into the heart of Poulton.

"It is the ambition that the conversion of the redundant site into a modern-day retail and food market hall will bring together the local community and provide a platform for smaller scale artisan vendors to promote their business. The ambition is not just limited to the development itself, but rather that of the whole Market Place."