Reform UK Solihull has launched a borough-wide campaign to save Solihull Police Station from demolition, urging residents to sign a petition and submit objections to a planning application that would replace the 1960s building with a five-storey office block and multi-storey car park.
Background of the Closure Plans
The controversial proposal to sell the Homer Road station first emerged in 2018 when then Labour West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson agreed to sell the building as part of wider plans to save the force £5 million. It was then proposed that neighbourhood police teams and the public contact office would 'co-locate locally', with Chelmsley Wood Police Station becoming a new police team headquarters for the borough. Jamieson's successor, Simon Foster, also Labour, and his strategic police and crime board approved the plans to sell the building in 2023. The current station is expected to be vacated in 2027, despite years of public opposition.
Details of the Redevelopment Proposal
Applicant Opus Land wants to demolish the existing station and replace it with a new office building and multi-storey car park, both five storeys tall. The planning application, reference PL/2026/01091/PPFL, is available for public comment on Solihull Council's website until July 9.
Campaign Demands and Actions
Reform UK Solihull is calling on Solihull Council and West Midlands Police to reject the demolition until a fully operational, town centre police station offering at least the same level of public access and policing capability is guaranteed. Residents are encouraged to sign the petition at SaveSolihullPoliceStation.co.uk and submit their views on the planning application.
Councillor Samantha Gethen, Leader of the Reform UK Group on Solihull Council, said: 'Solihull deserves a permanent, visible police station at the heart of our town. Residents should not be expected to accept the loss of a landmark public building without absolute certainty that policing services will be protected for generations to come.'
Councillor Ian Brown, Reform's Spokesman on Stronger Communities and Neighbourhood Services, added: 'Once public assets like this are lost, they're rarely replaced. Solihull has grown significantly over recent decades and our policing infrastructure should grow with it, not shrink.'
Impact and Next Steps
The petition calls upon Solihull Council and West Midlands Police to work together to retain a permanent, fully operational police station within Solihull town centre before any demolition proceeds. Residents can support the campaign by signing the petition and commenting on the planning application by July 9.
