St Helens agrees land deal for £30m police hub

Merseyside Police will acquire Lincoln House and part of the adjoining Birchley Street Car Park, enabling the building of a 35,000 sq ft town centre policing base to replace the nearby College Street facility.

St Helens Council’s cabinet agreed on Tuesday to sell the land to Merseyside Police.

The police had been on the hunt for a suitable three-acre, town centre site with space for 220 vehicles to park for years, without much luck.  Building a new police hub in St Helens is part of the Merseyside Police Commissioner’s 12-year Estate Strategy.

Lincoln House will be demolished to make way for the new £30m building, according to council reports. Merseyside Police is targeting next spring for submitting the planning application for the site, with a goal to start construction in the summer of 2028.

Upon the completion of the police hub, St Helens Council will take ownership of the College Street police facility, which will be demolished to replace the public parking lost to the police building.

While the sale terms were disclosed behind closed doors, a council report noted that the sale of Lincoln House and part of Birchley Street Car Park would generate a “significant capital receipt” for the local authority.

Merseyside Police’s 2023-2035 estate strategy also included the building of a Earlestown station, which has since completed, and the sale of its former Liverpool headquarters, Canning Place. Homes England acquired that property in May for £17m.