Police base planned for town in overhaul of county buildings

It has been announced today that the current police station, which has been in the town centre since the 1930s, will be sold off and a new state-of-the-art centre built on the outskirts of Harrogate.

A smaller satellite station will also be built in the town centre.

The police authority said the move is part of a major overhaul of police buildings planned across North Yorkshire in the next 10 years.

Authority chairman Jane Kenyon said: "We are all absolutely delighted to have reached this stage, for some time we have recognised the need for the modernisation of our estates.

"This is the first major project that has come to fruition but we have got a big programme of work ahead of us.

"We are looking at the need to upgrade our facilities and have undergone an audit of all our properties.

"I would expect to see three or four of new sites like the Harrogate one over the next 10 years."

The new station is planned for Beckwith Knowle, Beckwith Head Road, several miles away from the current base in North Park Road and a 30-minute walk from Harrogate town centre.

But senior officers have moved to reassure residents there will still be a considerable police presence in the town centre.

The deputy chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, Adam Briggs, said: "We will have the satellite station in the town centre and officers working from the areas of greatest need.

"Visible policing where people can tell us their concerns is so important and we will work particularly hard to reassure residents this will still be the case.

"The current building is quaint but the reality behind that is the buildings are crumbling. The cells are Dickensian and the small offices and corridors do not support effective policing.

"The working conditions for staff are just not right. There is always a hint of nostalgia when you leave, but we cannot continue in somewhere that is not going to be fit for the future."

The North Yorkshire Police Authority says it considered several sites around Harrogate before settling on the plot of land in Beckwith Head Road where the station will be built from scratch.

While planning permission has yet to be secured, contracts have been exchanged, and the police say they hope to move in to the new building by 2012.

Designs for the building are still being considered.

Police say the new facility is going to be a 24-hour operational police station and the opening hours of the town centre station will be "determined by demand".

The Cabinet member for public protection and rural affairs at Harrogate Council, Les Ellington, said: "While I support their move to new facilities it is absolutely imperative that there is an effective police presence that the public can access in the town centre.

"The satellite station should be able to provide this but it needs to be open 24 hours a day.

"Harrogate is a big town centre and we need to see an effective station here."

The cost of the building will be paid for by a combination of existing reserves, revenue raised from sale or borrowing and efficiency savings.

The current police station will be used until the new building is available before being put up for sale.

Public consultation on the new site is now under way and it is hoped detailed proposals will be put before a Harrogate Borough Council planning committee in May.