IN October last year Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh and the then Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex announced plans to reduce the existing Police Estate from 80 to 30 buildings.
These buildings cost £10 million a year in running costs and require a further £30 million of maintenance work to bring them up to standard. Essex Police can better spend some of this money to fight and prevent crime more effectively.
In line with the Estate Programme several properties will be placed on the open market in the coming days. These are:
Westcliff former Police Station – This Station in Claremont Road was closed to the public in 2011 and the building was closed down in September 2012, although it recently re-opened for a year or so whilst Southend Police Station was refurbished.
Stansted Mountfitchet former Police Office – The Police Office in Hargrave Close had a publicly accessible front counter which closed in 2011 although the site remained in use until recently.
Mistley former Police Station – The Police Station in New Road closed its front counter to the public in 2011.
Ipswich Road former Police Office – The Police Office was previously open to the public for two hours each week but this service ceased in 2011.
3 La Plata Grove, Brentwood former police house – The property has only ever been used for residential purposes.
Thaxted former Police Office – The police office has never been publicly accessible.
Simon Curling, Essex Police’s Interim Head of Operational Estates, said: "The sale of these properties is part of our continuing programme to reduce the size of the current police estate, parts of which are ageing, under-used, in a bad state of repair and not fit for the purposes of modern policing. We will continue to ensure that the public and our partners are kept informed of any activity in the Estates Programme affecting their local area.”
