YOU might say it's Liverpool's own "Scotland Yard" - after all, the address of Merseyside Police's new HQ is id Scottie Road.
A multi-million pound complex will replace Canning Place, the fortress-like base that sits on the edge of Liverpool One and the region’s main cop shop since the 1980s.
Merseyside Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy today announced she had agreed in principle to build a new police headquarters in Scotland Road, a key gateway into Liverpool.
Her office says, even by conservative estimates, building a new headquarters will be £780,000 cheaper than refurbishing Canning Place.
A more efficient and environmentally-friendly new build headquarters will also be £380,000 a year cheaper to run and maintain, helping the organisation to save £15.5m compared to the cost of keeping Canning Place over the next 40 years, it says.
There is already considerable commercial interest in the Canning Place site, which sits in a prime position on the waterfront next to Liverpool One. “By selling it, alongside Allerton Police Station, we hope to recoup at least £9m towards the cost of the new development. It will also open up that part of the city for further regeneration,” she said.
The new headquarters will consist of a four-storey building with a single-storey annex, housing nearly 850 officers, PCSOs, and staff in largely open-plan offices, as well as providing meeting rooms, a lecture theatre and "break-out" spaces. It will be located on a predominantly brownfield site, largely owned by Liverpool City Council and bound by Scotland Road, St Anne Street and the approach road to the Queensway tunnel. It is also adjacent to the Force’s existing St Anne Street site.
The announcement comes after a detailed and extensive study to identify the most cost-effective and efficient solution to address the existing issues around Merseyside Police’s current headquarters in Canning Place, which was built in 1977 and is in urgent need of essential repairs and maintenance work.
Kennedy said: “It has been a complex and thorough process to get to the position where I can make this decision today. Extensive evaluations have been undertaken which confirm that building a new headquarters on Scotland Road is the most effective, efficient and economical way to ensure that Merseyside Police is able to tackle crime and protect our communities now and for years to come.
The new Scotland Road police HQ“Sadly, I have no option but to act - Canning Place has been a loyal servant to the force over the last 40 years and there is no doubt it boasts a good location, but it is now of an age where expensive repairs and maintenance work are urgent and essential.
“It is old, inefficient and its structure and layout are no longer fit for purpose. The lighting and ventilation are poor and the car park needs major structural work. Simply put, it is not in a fit state to serve the men and women who put on the uniform every day.
Following today’s decision, the force’s estates and facilities team will work with public sector-owned built environment specialists SCAPE and Wilmot Dixon to design and plan the entire process up to the point of starting work. It is intended that a submission for planning permission will be submitted in May 2017. If approved, it is expected that work will begin in January 2018 and be completed in May 2020. Included within the proposals are a number of social value targets, including 600 weeks’ work for apprentices and student workshops for nearly 700 people.
The development of headquarters is a key element of the Commissioner’s strategy to transform the Force’s stations and buildings over the next 10 years to provide better facilities and save £2.5m every on the annual running costs which can be directed into keeping officers on the beat. Today’s decision comes after a meeting of the Police and Crime Panel, the body which scrutinises the Commissioner’s work, at which she updated them on her plans.
