Hill Street

Sitting on the corner of Hill Street and Middleton Street since the 1930’s the former police station has come to be a local landmark in Alexandria, West Dunbartonshire.

However, after shutting its doors to the public in 2013 it fell into disrepair and needed to be repurposed. Proposals by others to demolish the unlisted building and start again, in order to maximise potential units on the site, were objected to by the community and council. Clark Design Architecture and Bingham Homes Ltd took a different approach and resolved to maintain the character of the building and sensitively breathe new life into it.

The conversion involved extensive reconfiguration of the internal layout, replacing the roof and the demolition of an existing dilapidated flat roof extension to the rear in order to create an open courtyard in which the 6 new homes could look onto. The 6 new homes have the quirks, space and character of a period property but the convenience and efficiency of a new build.

The streetscape and sense of place has been maintained by limiting the design to 1.5 storeys tall and keeping the distinctive former station entrance. Low carbon technologies were used to keep running costs low for future homeowners. Zinc clad dormers and porches celebrate this new chapter in the locally loved building’s history and give it a modern edge. The project exemplifies how developers can take a different tact and repair rather than reduce to rubble.