Surrey Police search for new HQ

The search has begun to find the perfect location of a new state-of-the-art headquarters for Surrey Police. The search, part of a wider future estates programme and strategy, will look for a site in a more central area of Surrey – likely to be in the Leatherhead or Dorking area of the region.

The plans, which will be discussed at the Blue Light Estates Development Conference, will see a new HQ replace the current one at Mount Browne in Guildford as forces across the UK look to rationalise their estates. The UK wide strategy is designed to deliver long-term savings by moving out and disposing of some of the current outdated and costly buildings, whilst creating a modern and cost-effective estate that will allow the force to meet challenges of modern policing.

Surrey are now looking to get their estates programme underway – and the Blue Light Estates Development Conference will hear from Surrey Police and others across the UK, with some at the end, at the beginning or ongoing with their strategy.
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Once a suitable building has been found it’s likely to replace the current sites in Woking, Mount Brown and Reigate to create a major new eastern divisional base. It may also have the potential to house the Surrey Force’s Road Policing and Armed Response teams – although Area Policing Teams and Safer Neighbourhood Teams will continue to be based in their respective boroughs.

PCC David Munro said of the search: ”This has been a big decision to make but the most important factor in planning the future of our estate in Surrey is that we provide value for money for the public. It’s no secret that some of our current buildings, including the Mount Browne HQ site, are outdated, poor quality and expensive to manage and maintain. At a time when we are asking the public to pay for more through their council tax precept, we must ensure this isn’t committed in the long term to run a costly, restrictive estate.”

He added: ”Mount Browne has been at the centre of policing in this county for almost 70 years and has played a key part in the proud history of Surrey Police. Equally, I am well aware that the two other sites in Woking and Reigate have been important locations for local residents and our plans must ensure our local neighbourhood presence for those communities is unaffected. But we must look to the future and designing a new HQ gives us a unique opportunity to really think about what we could do differently to deliver an even better service to the public.

”We have looked carefully at the potential budget for the project and whilst there will be inevitable relocation costs involved, I am satisfied that this investment will provide savings in the long-term. Whilst this decision marks an important milestone, we are still at an early stage in our plans and there is much work to do in identifying and securing the right location. However I feel it is important to be transparent about our proposals and share our thinking with our staff and the wider public at this juncture. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the look and feel of the Force for future generations. We know that to thrive in the years ahead the ability to adapt to ongoing changes in policing will be important, and this will be at the forefront of our thinking as we look at modernising our working environments and practices”.

 

Surrey Police will be represented at the event by Judy Garvan; Building the Future Programme Manager. She’ll be joining over 30 Forces from up and down the UK to share their stories, visions and programme plans for their estates at our event.

Tickets can be purchased for the Blue Light Estates Development Conference here.
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