A FORMER police station is being converted into 12 flats in a plan set to bring new life to the decaying building.

Development JKS Group will have its work cut out renovating the old and decaying Rochford Police Station in Sun Street.

The two-storey building, which was built in 1914, has lain empty since closing in 2011 and has fallen into a dilapidated state.

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The station was reportedly sold for £925,000 by Essex Police in 2007; it was among nine police buildings closed and sold off in the early 2010s to creating savings of more than £40 million.

The plans detail 12 one and two-bed flats split between three blocks with 13 car parking spaces, cycle stores, Refuse Store, landscaping, and road access points on the northern and southern sides of the site.

Conservative Roche North and Rural councillor Ian Foster said: “The development consists of one and two-bedroom flats for which there is a massive need for in Rochford.

“They will all be in short walking distance from shops so it will be good for local business and also comes with good transport links.”

He added: “There have been lots of iterations on this plan, which has been amended to make sure it suits the residents who already live in the area.

“It would have cost the council an arm and a leg to purchase the police station to turn it into a community hub, which is what many wanted, but would not have been viable.”

JKS Group, which was given permission to convert the existing buildings and erect a new third block for housing in November, is not allowed to begin construction until a scheme to minimise the risk of off-site flooding caused by surface water run-off and ground water during construction works has been approved by the council.

Although many of the window openings have been boarded, the building “is not entirely secure from unlawful entry,” council documents state.

“The building internally is considered a risk to human health and safety by reason if its occupation by squatters and its deteriorating physical state which is exacerbated further by its occupation by pigeons.”