Plan to turn old police station into vape shop goes to appeal

The old police ‘box’ on Dewsbury Road in Lupset, close to the junction with Flanshaw Lane, was once used as a mini station.

The single-storey building, which was sold off by West Yorkshire Police in 2007, has been empty for over a decade.

Repeated applications to convert it into business premises have been turned down by Wakefield Council.The local authority issued an enforcement notice in September last

year to stop the building being used to sell vapes.

An appeal against the notice has been made to the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of business owner Muhammad Butt.

A justification statement submitted to the Inspectorate and the local authority describes Mr Butt as the sole operator and tenant of the building.

The document said: “The building has been vacant for many years and has been described by local people as being an ‘eyesore’.

“The building in its unused state, attracts vandals and antisocial behaviour and must be brought into use to prevent this.”According to the document, the property has been

fitted out with shelves to sell vapes, vaping equipment and snacks.

A banner advertising the ‘Cloud Chasers’ business has also been fixed to an outside wall.

The statement said a formal planning application to make further changes to the building would be made if the business proved a success.

It added: “Bringing a new business to the building will in the long term add to the council’s revenue through business rates.

“Given that councils are struggling, with some on the brink of becoming bankrupt, additional shop units rather than empty buildings should be embraced.”

Permission to turn the building into a sandwich shop was refused in 2022 by planning officers on highway safety grounds.

They said there was a lack of parking nearby to accommodate the proposed new business.

Similar applications for the building made in 2010 and 2011 were turned down for the same reasons.

Addressing the concerns, the statement said: ” The frequency that any vehicle would enter or leave the site would likely be once a day as the owner of the business/tenant/appellant is the sole operator.

“The premises would largely be accessed by foot and not by car, given that it would be used primarily as a local shop and this type of shop would not attract business from further afield.”

In a letter to the council, a Planning Inspectorate officer confirmed that Mr Butt’s appeal was valid.

An inspector is expected to carry out a visit to the site and both parties have until March 11 to make final comments relating to the appeal before a decision is made.