North Yorkshire Police has been planning to vacate the current Ripon Police Station for some time, as they say the building is too large, in need of repair, and expensive to maintain.
An agreement to sell the land and station buildings was agreed in October last year, subject to planning permission, and since that time the police Estates Team have been looking at relocation options in the town.
Boroughbridge Police station will also close and currently does not operate a counter service.
Following Board Meetings at North Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority (NYFRA), the Commissioner has approved plans to build a new co-located facility on the current NYFRA site at Stonebridgegate, less than half a mile away from the existing Ripon Station site. The Fire Authority also voted in favour of advancing the proposals to co-locate
North Yorkshire Police will occupy around a third of the new building, which will contain dedicated police offices and will benefit from the use of shared spaces such as meeting rooms, reception area and staff welfare facilities. The new facility will replace the existing NYFRA buildings at Stonebridgegate, which will be demolished.
Police from Ripon and Boroughbridge (which was also scheduled for disposal) will move to Stonebridgegate mid-way through next year, initially occupying temporary buildings until the new facilities are completed, currently planned for summer 2017.
- The cost of the project will be under £800k
- The new building will allow North Yorkshire Police to save more than £120k per year on its current Ripon and Boroughbridge estate costs.
- Total saving (over the 30 years term of the agreement) is more than £3.7m
Commenting on the new plans, Julia Mulligan, the Police and Crime Commissioner, said:
I am very pleased to give the green light to this proposal for a new building shared with NYFRA. Co-location with other public-sector partners is very much the way forward, as we look for ways to reduce our costs and improve our service, and the Stonebridgegate site keeps the police right at the centre of Ripon. The new building will involve some initial cost, but overall we will save a significant amount of money – money that is better spent on people, and not property. It is a better and cheaper solution for North Yorkshire Police.
Dave Jones, Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police, said:
It is excellent news. Our stations in Ripon and Boroughbridge were dilapidated, and not fit-for-purpose for a modern police service. The new building at Stonebridgegate will give us the facilities we need, and a far better base from which to serve the local community.
