Police station future still uncertain
A POTENTIAL buyer for the prime plot of land which is currently home to Ipswich police station has not materialised, it emerged today.Suffolk Constabulary is currently exploring the options available after deeming the Civic Drive site requires significant refurbishment or a complete replacement.
A POTENTIAL buyer for the prime plot of land which is currently home to Ipswich police station has not materialised, it emerged today.
Suffolk Constabulary is currently exploring the options available after deeming the Civic Drive site requires significant refurbishment or a complete replacement.
However, a developer willing to buy the site has not emerged.
The entire Civic Centre complex, which also comprises the former Ipswich Borough Council building and the old crown court, is in line for mass redevelopment.
Police currently use cells at the crown court but the lease expires in three years' time.
Gulshan Kayembe, chair of Suffolk Police Authority, said: “The police authority took the decision back in 2006 that we needed to do something about Ipswich police station.
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“There is not enough room and the building requires a significant refurbishment.
“The options open to us are either spending lots on a refurbishment or finding somewhere else.”
The police station is about 40 years old. Should the authority opt to sell up and move elsewhere it is likely borrowing would be required to fund the relocation.
Mrs Kayembe said the current global economic downturn had affected the police stations future.
“It's a tough time to sell at the moment, but it may be a good time to buy,” she said.
“In the next year, we will consider in more depth whether we want to buy a new site.”
A previous police authority report estimated that any move would require capital funding of up to £10m.
What could the land which houses the police station be used for? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
