Police HQ deal completed

Contracts have now been exchanged for the former Progress House site, on Clifton Road, which was granted full planning permission earlier this month.

It will become home to a new £21m West Division headquarters to replace Bonny Street station which was built in the 1970s.

The investment, by Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw, is the biggest in the force’s history.

The police are buying the Clifton Road site for £2.2m from Blackpool Council, which in turn is buying the Bonny Street site for £3.2m as part of its assembly of land towards potential development on the Central Station site.

Mr Grunshaw said: “This is a key milestone in this project and brings us another step closer to realising our vision of a modern and efficient police base on the Fylde coast that is fit for the 21st century.

“The current building at Bonny Street is out of date and a drain on already stretched resources. It is simply not fit for purpose and does not meet modern policing requirements.

“This is a one-off investment that will make our police force more efficient and effective for decades to come.

“I am also excited about the wider benefit to the area through creating jobs and apprenticeships that will boost the local economy as well as enabling the redevelopment of the Bonny Street site.”

Chief Supt Stuart Noble, divisional commander for Lancashire Constabulary’s West Division, added: “This is a major and exciting development for the police that will see a massive improvement to our working environment.

“We are satisfied that the location is accessible and, along with the relocation of the neighbourhood policing team and front counter to the council’s Municipal Building, we feel it will ultimately allow us to provide a better quality of service to the public.

“We should see work starting on site in November and we are hoping that the new headquarters will be completed in spring 2018.”

The existing station will operate as usual during construction of the new base, which will also accommodate neighbourhood policing and immediate response teams, as well as a public inquiry desk, investigations hub and 42 custody cells.

Also based there will be a range of specialist teams serving the whole of the Fylde coast as well as Lancaster and Morecambe.

A visible police presence will continue in the town centre at the council’s Municipal Buildings, which will include a public inquiries desk.

Local suppliers are expected to be used in the building process.