By Ryan Sands
THE PSNI’s disused Warrenpoint station has been put up for sale.The 0.6-acre Charlotte Street site – billed by estate agents Lisney as commercial land – is now on the open market with an asking price of £375,000.An online brochure states that it is in a ‘prime position in Warrenpoint town centre’, is ‘ideal property for refurbishment/redevelopment’, and is ‘suitable for various uses’.‘The former Warrenpoint Police Station closed to the public in 2014, then closed officially around 2018,’ it continues. ‘The station sits on a flat, reasonably square-shaped site of circa 0.6 acres in the town centre. ‘The land is currently laid in tarmac, and is well-secured and bounded by walling and fencing. ‘The former PSNI station sits in the centre of the land and comprises a large, two-storey building. ‘The building is circa 30 years old and was purpose-built as a police station.’It is highlighted that a plaque in memory of Joanne Reilly, the 20-year-old Warrenpoint woman killed in a 1989 IRA bomb attack, is located on the external southern boundary wall and that this ‘must remain’ in place.The brochure also points out that there is a Northern Ireland Electricity substation on the western boundary of the land, adding that ‘we understand that the substation must remain and a right of way to access this is in place’.In May 2018, the PSNI paused disposal of the site due to uncertainty surrounding Brexit, though the D1 Process, which, in the first instance, offers the site to prospective public sector buyers, was recommenced in 2022.The site had originally been the council’s preference for a new community centre; however, in December 2018, it opted to press ahead with developing such a facility in Clonallon Park.In January 2023, the local authority unanimously endorsed a notice of motion, tabled by Mickey Ruane (Sinn Féin, Crotlieve), calling for the site to be transformed into social housing to “address the identified need for affordable housing in the Warrenpoint and Rostrevor areas”.The following month, the PSNI stated, in correspondence to the council, that ownership of the Joanne Reilly memorial would be retained by the Northern Ireland Policing Board once the site is transferred to new owners.Last May, Warrenpoint Community Association highlighted “reports that Warrenpoint Police Station is to be released onto the open market” and said that the location would “provide a much-needed community resource in a fast-expanding town”.Responding to this, the PSNI confirmed that “the disposal process for Warrenpoint Police Station is currently under review by the PSNI with guidance being provided by Land Property Services on the next steps and options for its disposal”.The Housing Executive said that, at that point, it retained its interest in the site, despite having been “informed by Choice Housing that they will not proceed with the development of the site of the former Warrenpoint police station”.