Police Scotland has announced that Carluke Police Station is set to close.

​However, the Scottish Police Authority has now approved plans to dispose of Carluke police station following a period of public consultation.

Carluke was formally declared as surplus along with Seaton in Aberdeen, and Balerno in Edinburgh at last week’s Scottish Police Authority Resources Committee meeting held on March 13.

Police Scotland had announced on 14 December last year proposals to close a number of police stations across the country as part of their estate transformation strategy.

Public consultation was launched both at a local level and nationally through an online Engagement Hub, with consultations on individual properties taking place at different times. The consultations on the properties in Balerno, Seaton and Carluke all closed on Sunday, 18 February.

Due to extensive water damage, Carluke was last fully utilised as an operational station three years ago. Local community officers have been deploying from Lanark police station which is just over five miles away, and is the main response hub for the Clydesdale area and nearest public counter.

Officers have continued to serve the area from Lanark with no detriment to the level of policing service delivery to the community of Carluke, said officials.

Comments received from the public on Carluke police station reflected that the station’s presence gave assurance to the community and was a deterrent for crime, however there was concern over the nearest station being Lanark.

Chief Superintendent Stevie Dolan said: “Police Scotland inherited a very large and ageing estate, much of which was not fit for purpose, with high maintenance costs and environmental inefficiencies.

“Our building in Carluke suffered significant water damage and has not been used as an operational police station for the last three years.

"The building is in a significant state of disrepair and does not provide a suitable working environment for our officers and staff.

"The officers previously based there were transferred to Lanark and have continued to provide a policing service to surrounding areas.

“With advances in digital technology, officers are no longer tied to working from police buildings. A lot of the paperwork side of policing can now be done directly into mobile devices that officers carry with them.

"Our officers therefore spend much of their time out in communities dealing with calls and helping the public.

“Although it has been vacant, Carluke has continued to incur day to day running costs and ongoing repairs and maintenance, which is not best use of public funds.

“I realise the physical police presence of the building has provided reassurance and confidence to the local community over the years however I would like to assure local residents that our officers will continue to be active, visible and accessible.

“Our officers based at Lanark will continue to cover the Carluke area, as they have been doing, and the public will receive the same high level of service.”