A site next door to a Stoke-on-Trent police station is set to be transformed into a car park.

Changes to Staffordshire Police operations mean more officers are now using the Longton site, which has led to a demand for more secure vehicle parking.

Currently the force is renting land for car parking at an unnamed location. But buying Fitzgerald House, which neighbours Longton Police Station in Sutherland Road, for use as a vehicle compound would enable the parking lease to be ended.

Staffordshire Police, FIre and Crime Commissioner Ben Adams has given the green light for the purchase of the site, which has previously been home to a DIY store. It could also be used to house a builders' compound while the police station is refurbished, a decision notice stated.

More officers are using the Longton site meaning there is more demand for secure parking spaces (Staffordshire Police).

It added: "Staffordshire Police, via changes in the police operating model, have increased the number (of) officers serving in the community of Longton. The increase in officer numbers at the stations has created a significant demand for secure vehicle parking.

"The site is located next to and adjoins Longton Police Station, a building owned on behalf of the taxpayer by the Office of the Staffordshire Commissioner. Longton Police Station was constructed in the early 1990s and is due to be refurbished – the refurbishment of the station and the integration of this site into the police station will provide a police facility fit for the next 30 years.

"The purchase is economically viable; a comparison between the cost of borrowing to purchase the site versus the existing costs of renting secure car parking in the locality has been made. In summary, comparing the existing licence to rent cost for land for car parking with the annual charge for servicing the debt, demolition costs and business rates of £35,000 results in an efficiency of £16,520."

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