Stockbridge police station to be sold by police following review (From Basingstoke Gazette)
When news happens, text BAZ and your photos or videos to 80360. Or contact us by email and phone.
Stockbridge police station to be sold by police following review
2:50pm Thursday 18th October 2012 in Andover
STOCKBRIDGE police station is to be sold off by Hampshire Police Authority.The sale plan follows a review of the police estate, which found that many of the buildings within the force, some of which are over 100-years-old, are no longer suitable for police use and are not good value for money.
In a statement the authority said ‘We are policing in a time in which mobile technology allows officers and staff to work out of various locations, alongside our partners, in the heart of the communities we serve. We already have a number of police officers in the force successfully working from alternative locations, such as at schools, supermarkets and fire stations. As part of the Estate Development Programme, a number of police stations have been identified as unsuitable for our current or future policing needs and so they are being disposed of.
I would like to reassure you that no building will be removed from our estate until a suitable alternative location is found for police officers and staff. In most cases, the police stations that are being sold have not been open to the public for a long period of time.
The police buildings that are no longer needed by the force will be offered for sale over the coming months and years. The capital raised from the sale of the buildings will help to ensure that the Estate Development Programme, which includes a new HQ, police campus, four new police investigation centres and an extensive refurbishment programme, will be cost neutral. The aim is to promote efficient working and provide modern, appropriate facilities to fit the current and future policing needs and enable officers and staff to provide the best possible service to the public, whilst achieving value for money.
The first properties to be put on the market for sale, later this month, are Old Basing Office, Twyford and Stockbridge police stations. Stockbridge, has been closed to the public for some time. Police officers moved to a police office in Stockbridge Fire Station, in the heart of the community, in June (2012).
