A POLICE station could soon be in the hands of the community after Leigh Town Council requested to have it listed as a community asset.
Leigh Police Station, in Elm Road, is owned by Southend Borough Council and closed to the public in 2012.
It is still used as a work base for officers but Essex Police are expected to cease working from there in April next year, with its future use then uncertain.
The town’s council has submitted a preliminary application to have the building listed as a community asset and will shortly begin discussing potential uses.
Carole Mulroney, vice chairman of the council, said: “It is really early stages but our main aim is to make sure, if we can, that it is still in public use and a focal point for the community.
“We went to see it put into a community use but that might be lots of different uses.
“It is quite a sizable building and there have been various partitions put up in for police work, but there are all sorts of things the building could be used for.”
Community asset status would give the town council, if the borough council decided to sell the station, a six week window to express interest in the building.
There would then be a six-month period in which Southend Council would have to allow the town council to prepare a bid for the building.
After the bid has been made the asset status would not require Southend Council to sell to the town council, but it would prevent them selling it to a commercial buyer – potentially a developer who could demolish the building – for that six month period.
The Leigh Society opened the Heritage Centre, in High Street, as a museum dedicated to the town and their chairman, Ann (corr) Price, would like to see the town’s art showcased in the police station.
She said: “The police station is a lovely old building and it would be a real shame for it to be left empty, of to be sold off and knocked down.
“We need to keep it as part of the community and with a little bit of conversion it could be used for lots of things.
“I know we have the art trail and the community centre but it would be nice to have somewhere specifically for art.”
Tony Prior, of the Leigh Lions Club, would like to see the building preserved, but admitted practical needs of the town may take over.
He said: “We have lost too many buildings across the borough so it would be good to keep it.
“What we could do with in the centre of Leigh is a museum, but as with all these things, such as the Heritage Centre, which is a lovely place, they rely on volunteers and you need funding.
“We also need hotel rooms in Leigh, so a boutique hotel could work well there.
“But they are very idealistic thoughts, what that area of Leigh really needs, on a practical basis, is a larger car park.”
Ron Woodley, leader of Southend Council, said: “We do not currently have any concrete plans for the building as its landlord.
“We will continue liaising with the town council and duly consider the nomination.”