Headquarters in Blackpool reaches the latest construction stage
The ‘topping-out’ of the state-of-the-art building on Clifton Road is due to take place on Wednesday 12 July. It will see officers gather at the site alongside Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw, and the contractors working on the project.
Ian Cosh, Director of Resources at Lancashire Constabulary, said: “It is great to see the new headquarters, which will drive forward policing in the area, really starting to take shape.
“This project is the biggest build ever undertaken by the Police and Crime Commissioner and Lancashire Constabulary and one which I firmly believe will help us to provide a better quality of service to the public.”
Contractors moved onto the site on Clifton Road in December 2016. The new building will replace Bonny Street Police Station when it is completed in 2018 and will serve as a headquarters for the county’s West Division, which covers Blackpool, Fylde, Wyre, Lancaster and Morecambe.
Close to the M55, the building will provide a base for some of the local policing and immediate response teams as well as a public enquiry desk, investigations hub and 42 custody cells. It will also house a range of specialist teams serving the whole of the division.
The investment, which is the biggest in the force’s history, is being funded as part of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC’s) capital programme.
Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw said: “The new headquarters will no doubt be a landmark building once complete and it is exciting to see it take shape. Through my Social Values Policy I am committed to ensuring that this project has a positive impact on the community and the local economy and I am pleased to say that the majority of the spend for the new build is taking place within Lancashire with 40 per cent spent within a 20 mile distance from the new site.
“The project will continue to provide opportunities for local suppliers going forward and the new building will make a fantastic base for police officers to serve Fylde Coast residents in the future.”
As part of the plans, the Blackpool town centre neighbourhood policing team and public enquiry desk will relocate to the Council’s Municipal Building.