More than £100,000 will be spent on urgent repairs and maintenance works at the B-listed former police station in Renfrew.

The steps have been needed to keep the building in Inchinnan Road, which has been empty for more than a decade, wind and watertight.

Last year, works were commissioned to clean up the inside of the building, including removing bird and vermin droppings, as well as boarding it up to prevent animals from entering.

However, despite this, a recent inspection revealed more needs to be done to secure the future of the building.

A large amount of standing water has gathered on the roof because of a blocked drainage system, while internally there are “significant areas” of dry and wet rot. If left untreated, this will continue to spread throughout the old cop shop.

The findings were included in a report to the recent finance, resources and customer services policy board. It warned: “It is recommended that these issues are rectified immediately to ensure the long-term integrity and potential future re-use of the building.”

Calculations summarised in the document estimated the total project cost will come in at around £110,000, but acknowledged this would be “subject to change” if any potential unforeseen issues were discovered.

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Renfrewshire Council’s head of facilities and property services was authorised to award a contract for the urgent repairs and maintenance works on Thursday. The money will be sourced from the Renfrew Common Good Fund.

Councillor John Shaw, board convener and SNP representative for Renfrew North and Braehead, said: “[These are] some very important works to keep the police station in one piece until we get some funding together to really do it up.”

The building dates from 1910 and was designed by architect Alexander Nisbet Paterson, the report added.

Until June 2012 it was leased by the police, who then moved on to new premises in Station Road. Since then, the two-storey building in the Baronial Revival style has lain vacant.

Last year, the council submitted an application to the Levelling Up Fund for an ambitious £20 million project to transform the police station and neighbouring swimming baths into a thriving community hub.

The bid was unsuccessful and officers are now in discussions with the UK Government on whether there would be scope to reapply, should a future round of funding be announced.

If not, they will pursue alternative schemes and funding routes.