Say ’ello, ’ello, ’ello to a new police station
FORCE ANNOUNCES IT HAS PURCHASED TOWN CENTRE SITE
A MAJOR new police station will be built in Huddersfield and Dewsbury, West Yorkshire Police has announced.
WYP had been rumoured to have given up on new premises in Huddersfield town centre after allegedly being snubbed for the vacant former sports centre site on Southgate, that has since been purchased by Huddersfield University.
The Examiner reported it had instead done a deal to purchase one of Kirklees College’s Dewsbury sites.
But WYP has revealed it has purchased a new Huddersfield town centre site at the now-vacant Nissan and Fiat car dealership plot at Broadway, opposite Tesco.
The new station will accommodate and deploy more than 200 police officers and staff from the Huddersfield South Patrol and Neighbourhood Police Teams.
The existing station on Albion Street will remain in full use while the new premises are developed and built with an estimated opening date of the new one being before the end of 2024.
Dewsbury Police Station will similarly be kept open until the new one is ready.
Both sites will then be sold off. The projects are subject to successful planning approvals, and represent a major renewal of the Kirklees police estate coming into line with other parts of West Yorkshire.
Chief Superintendent Julie Sykes, District Commander of Kirklees Police, said: “Extensive work has been underway for several years now to replace existing police buildings in Dewsbury and Huddersfield, both of which currently have operational limitations. The buildings are reaching the end of their operational and economic lives and would be equally, if not more, expensive to rebuild than they would be to replace.
“The announcement of this significant investment for policing in Kirklees is fantastic news for the district and will provide us with state-of-the-art new stations which will be based at the heart of communities.
“Our neighbourhood policing teams in particular are already firmly embedded in the communities they serve and will remain there, providing a visible presence and regular contact opportunities at locally accessible locations.”
She added: “Both sites were very carefully chosen after years of planning work, and we feel they offer the best locations available to us in terms of size, accessibility for residents, and also providing good access to the road network.
“What this investment will do is allow us to retain all the services we currently offer but develop them further, while bringing fresh investment into both towns.”
West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns Williamson, who has overall responsibility for the Force Estate said: “This is the culmination of many years and months of hard work with a determination to find the best possible options for the people of Kirklees, which will see the development of much-needed modern-day policing facilities rooted at the very core of our communities in both Huddersfield and Dewsbury.”
He added: “If planning approval is gained this will be a real step forward for many years to come for policing within Kirklees and West Yorkshire as a whole.”
A spokesperson for Kirklees College said: “We are pleased to announce that West Yorkshire Police has acquired the college site on Halifax Road in Dewsbury. We are proud that this new location will offer an opportunity to improve and expand services to best serve our local community.”