High Post may not be only Police Station option

Several further sites near Salisbury are being considered as plans for a new police station to serve the south of the county start to take further steps forward after a public meeting was held in the city.

Earlier this month, Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson, alongside Chief Constable Kier Pritchard and representatives from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and Wiltshire Police, explained to residents how a project to source a location for a new police station has been progressing.

Updates in the session included potential sites considered and discounted, as well as further detail on three options: remain at Bourne Hill, a split site between Amesbury and land off Wilton Road or a new build police station at High Post, with or without a custody suite, being explored.

Operational advice to inform the future ask, regarding resources and operational estate, for Wiltshire Police was explained to residents by Chief Constable Pritchard and Assistant Chief Constable David Minty (responsible for community policing across the county).

The Force explained their endorsement for the PCC’s office to move forward with further exploration for a new-build police station at High Post, with no further decision made on whether a custody suite would form part of the final options. The potential for a pledged investment in a further 20 police officers and staff for the south of the county instead of custody was also discussed.

Several further site options came up at the meeting, with further conversations, post-event, with different landowners and developers taking place over the last few weeks. As a result, the OPCC’s dedicated project team is now gathering more information on the sites.

Alongside this further exploration, the OPCC is also moving forward with plans to continue scoping the possibility of gaining planning permission for a new-built station on land at High Post.

Mr Wilkinson said: “We are extremely fortunate that we have now found several further sites to scope as location possibilities for a new station in closer proximity to Salisbury and we are also able to move forward in parallel with this, and at no cost to the taxpayer, further scoping to see if planning permission would be viable at High Post.

“We are listening and exploring all options open to us. The worst thing for us to do at this time is to make no progress and rest on one’s laurels. We all know policing in Salisbury and the south needs investment – and that is what I am determined to bring to fruition.”

Mr Wilkinson said he was extremely pleased residents and key councillors from across the south of the county attended the conversation event and added everyone fully engaged with the discussion, which focused on options to invest in an improved policing service for the south significantly.

“Continued conversation with residents directly affected by decisions made by myself and the Chief Constable is vital,” Mr Wilkinson continued.

“The public’s views on the police service they receive is important. We need to know where we can improve – and it was clear an operational review and decisive action out of that was what we needed to deliver.

“The Chief and I have been listening to residents’ feedback, and that of officers and staff – frustrated with how the lack of a cohesive policing hub, with all services under one roof, has been impacting on how they carry out their jobs.

“I am really pleased to be able to continue with our plans to deliver a new police station for Salisbury and the south, which will ultimately provide an improved police service for residents and contribute to making Wiltshire safer.”

Mr Wilkinson pledged to keep residents updated and involved in the conversation as more definitive plans were formed.