Public invited to have say on plans for the potential redevelopment of Police HQ

A public exhibition is being held to outline possible plans to redevelop the Martlesham Police Headquarters site for new homes. The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Suffolk is considering the sale of the site for residential development in the future, in order to help reduce costs and provide better value for money to taxpayers without impacting on police services or jobs.

The drop-in public exhibition is being held on Monday 18th June 2018 3pm – 8pm at Martlesham Heath Pavilion, The Drift, IP5 3PL and interested parties are invited to attend, meet the project team, view draft plans and give their views.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Tim Passmore, says: “In order to save money that can be re-invested into police services, we are exploring the possibility of selling the Police Headquarters site at Martlesham for development and relocating to premises in the Ipswich area.

“Nothing is set in stone and we really are fact-finding at the moment. We need to understand the value of the site, were planning permission for housing to be granted – so that we can then make a decision as to whether it should be sold. We look forward to sharing initial plans with the local community and listening to people’s views before any decisions are made.”

The PCC has appointed a team of specialist consultants to look at how the site could potentially accommodate residential development. It is thought that around 250 homes, including both market and affordable housing, would fit on the site.

Following further technical work and a period of pre-application public consultation that will run until 20th July, it is likely that an outline planning application will be drawn up and submitted to Suffolk Coastal District Council later in the year. The Council will decide whether the principle of building houses on the site is acceptable. If planning permission were granted, valuations for the site would then be obtained to assess if it were viable to relocate to alternative headquarters. The site could then be considered for sale to a house builder or developer who would draw up more detailed designs and submit further planning application(s) for approval before any work could start.

The redevelopment of the brown field site would not only save the police force money. It could also help Suffolk to meet its housing needs by providing a range of homes in a short time frame (up to 5 years).

The PCC understands the importance of considering any potential impacts selling and redeveloping the site could have on the local area. The outline planning application will show how key factors such as traffic, access, proximity to neighbouring properties, ecology and capacity of local services have been considered.

Feedback is invited at the public exhibition on Monday 18th June or by email (planning.consultation@suffolk.pnn.police.uk) or by writing to the PCC at Police HQ, Martlesham IP5 3QS. All feedback will be considered before an outline planning application is submitted. Project updates will also be available to view here, where feedback can also be submitted.