'Will the force be with you?': Staffordshire Police to consider Hanley Central Business District HQ move
THE police may move out of their ageing city centre headquarters and into the controversial Central Business District, The Sentinel can exclusively reveal today.
Staffordshire Police has halted a planned £200,000 refurbishment of Hanley police station as it carries out a review of its property.
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REVIEW: Hanley police station.
A number of long-term options are under consideration, including closing the old building and creating a base in the CBD.
Meanwhile, the future of policing in Stoke also remains uncertain, as the force plans to sell-off its London Road base in the next financial year.
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The news comes as hundreds of campaigners marched across the city at the weekend in a mass demonstration against Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s planned move from Stoke’s Civic Centre to a new £40 million headquarters in Hanley.
They say the CBD move is a ‘white elephant’ that will only serve to decimate trade in Stoke town centre.
But the council claims the move is essential to create jobs and stimulate economic growth.
Details of the police’s option to move to the CBD emerged in the force’s capital programme, setting out the police budgets for the year.
It states that although £200,000 has been set aside for improving Hanley police station in the 2013/14 financial year, the actual spend ‘will depend very much on the property strategy and the longevity of Hanley (Central Business District)’.
Stoke police station could finally close this year as part of the force’s plans to close several stations around the county to save £1 million.
But the proposal to spend taxpayers’ cash in Hanley while closing Stoke station has angered campaigners.
Graham Barrett, 61-year-old founder of protest group Save Our Stoke, said: “Everything now seems to be aimed at Hanley, to the loss of places like Stoke and Longton. The civic centre is closing and now we will not have a police station.
“A town the size of Stoke really does need its own station.”
Staffordshire Police said only ‘essential’ work was being carried out at Hanley police station.
The spokesman added: “It’s too early to go into specifics about individual buildings. However, we are committed to ensuring our officers and staff are even more visible to our communities in the future.
“Officers will be able to spend more time in the community with access to the most appropriate information and equipment, reducing the need to return to a police station.”
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by Backdoored
Monday, February 25 2013, 11:35PM
“'historian'?...... no no.... 'historic' practice, of course. Bear with me.”
by Backdoored
Monday, February 25 2013, 11:33PM
“by stokepotte
"Why consider moving the Hanley police station at all as it is so near to the courts." -Unquote.
That's an easy one. The Police Station, by pragmatic historian tradition, is always situated as close as you can get to the Courts. The former Crown Court was housed in Hanley Town Hall -with the former Police Station right next door just above the front entrance on Albion Square.
So, if the Police move to another bright and brand new Building, then the Courts will have to move with them -and so the 'knock it down' and 'build it again' will be in-keeping with what Pervez and Co are 'into'....with Council Big Ideas Ideology... Grand schemes -with someone else's money.
Just keep putting yer hand in yer pocket and let them keep 'dipping their bread'. I wonder how many it will take -these 'knock 'em down and build 'em up again' projects, before the 'turn-out' at local elections rise above the 25% average?
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by MelvBoslem
Monday, February 25 2013, 9:51PM
“So are the plans for the CBD already including holding cells or will the plans need to be revised which would then .......add even more cost?”
by Jobeeone
Monday, February 25 2013, 9:38PM
“I havent seen a police presence in weeks. I police more than they do The nic is in Etrria. I am refuse to pay good money for a task I am expected to carry out myself!!”
by adpadp
Monday, February 25 2013, 9:02PM
“Will the relocation of the council and police to the CBD make this more attractive to prospective tenants? I think not. Maybe they are now trying to justify its existence by moving the council and cops in.”
by mrdoulton
Monday, February 25 2013, 7:48PM
“no 1 police plaza ppft”
by johnarc
Monday, February 25 2013, 7:05PM
“The Staffordshire police budget is reported to be under severe pressure, so they surely could not fund this nonsense. Hanley police station is a quality building sited within a few yards of the ludicrously named central business district. Is there no end to the stupidity of those who can't wait to waste public finance.”
by Snaggletoooth
Monday, February 25 2013, 6:22PM
“It is plainly obvious that the Police service is soon to be privatised,so why not just let Group-4 build their own "Police" station on their own dime?”
by stokepotter
Monday, February 25 2013, 6:22PM
“Why consider moving the Hanley police station at all as it is so near to the courts.”
by stokepotter
Monday, February 25 2013, 6:19PM
“Does this mean that a new building for the police will be built in the "CBD", or will they take over space in the white elephant new Civic Centre as the number of council 'officers' will be run down as public services will no longer be provided by the Council? If a new building is to be built for the police, then instead of a Business District with the Private sector we will be having just a Public Services Centre in there with lots of wasted land around it where the police station and the library currently stands.
What an absolutely total waste of public money this is even more now turning out to be. If only we could get this wastrel lot of idiots out before 2015.”