Phased refurbishment of live police station, with security and access issues remedied.
Longton Police Station operates across the county of Staffordshire in the West Midlands. Built in 1905 as brewery offices, the original building was later used as Longton Police Station before being demolished in 1992. A new purpose-built police station was built on the same site.
The building was identified as needing full refurbishment to bring it up to date and address defects and dated elements, with the station building, amenity block, and car park all needing work to accommodate additional officers and vehicles.
Following a Capability Assessment, Staffordshire Police ran a Request for Proposed (RFP) exercise under the Constructing West Midlands, Capital Works Framework Lot 1 as a mini competition. Seddon were selected to undertake the works due to their appropriate capability, experience and demonstration of value for money.
Work commenced on the 8th August 2024 and completed 13th August 2025, seven weeks ahead of schedule.
Works
The works were split into two stages, with Phase A focusing on the amenities block and then Phase B on the main building block. They were released to Seddon in a phased approach so only one building was being worked on at a time, minimising disruption.
Work involved internal modifications and some internal demolitions to create open plan, agile work areas.
The amenities block required new windows, and a full strip out to install locker spaces, changing rooms, and shower.
The main building block design catered for open plan offices, and for the clock tower to also be converted into office space to accommodate the additional workforce.
Seddon set up bi-weekly coordination meetings to ensure everything was going smoothly and to plan, and there were no issues on either side of the relationship with the customer.
Issues
The works took place in a live operational environment, with the police station open 24/7. There were security considerations, with passes and lanyards required for access and key codes for entryways. All staff working on site also had to be police vetted for security compliance.
Access was blocked off at night, but police staff still required access to the building. There was also considerations around the car park consistently being full to work around when it came to access and fluidity around site.
To remove and replace the windows at the back of the building required approval from Network Rail, due to the railway lines at the rear of the building. Approval was received, allowing the works to commence.
Asbestos containing materials were suspected to be within the work area on the second floor. Works were ceased immediately, and a downtime period of 3-days ensued while awaiting sample results. All samples taken were confirmed as being nonasbestos containing materials and works were restarted.
The site had two asbestos R&D surveys carried out prior to our commencement on site; samples were taken on the day with the results coming back as negative in all areas. The Seddon Site Manager ensured that there was sufficient ventilation in the areas affected by opening all the windows, showing good practice.
Achievements
The final phase of the programme completed on 13th August, seven weeks ahead of the original programme. The positive collaboration between site teams, support staff, building users, and a supportive client, enabled this.
The buildings were released back to Staffordshire Police in three separate stages, in a staggered format. This ensured police officers and staff could work and decant back into the completed building before work commenced on the next phase.
Social Value
Seddon undertook 2no. workshops in HMP Forest Bank, and 1no. mock interview with NEET (not in education, employment, or training) during the works to Longton, as demonstration of our commitment in supporting people to consider a role within construction, and use transferable skills when looking for new opportunities.
We were able to provide a work experience opportunity to JW, totalling 1 day per week for 10 weeks (2 weeks in total) (son of the client). He worked with our sub-contractor Oakland Joinery, assisting them on processes and procedures on first, second and final fix joinery including kitchen install.
The project also provided full time employment to local Stoke resident JR, who came through Footprint. JR started on the project on 20th August 2024, and is now working directly for Seddon (no longer through Footprint as of 7th April 2025).
Both the work experience and full-time employment opportunity provided to these individuals through this project has proved invaluable, and is in line with Seddon’s commitments through national TOMs to support both local employment and up-and-coming talent.
