The Metropolitan Police has made greater than £1billion promoting off belongings in recent times.
Round 100 stations with entrance counters, the place members of the general public can communicate with an officer, closed in London between 2012 and 2017.
The scheme is a part of an enormous price slicing mission by the Mayor’s Workplace for Policing And Crime (MOPAC).
However MPs who’re going through closures of their constituencies have urged Sadiq Khan to think about providing the buildings to councils at barely discounted charges to allow them to stay group belongings.
Kensington and Chelsea council wish to flip Notting Hill Police Station right into a well being centre
/ Ok&C CouncilEarlier this week a whole bunch of individuals attended a gathering about the way forward for Notting Hill police station, which has been put up on the market by Metropolis Corridor.
Kensington and Chelsea council is making a suggestion to purchase the constructing with “amenities for the group as the highest precedence”.
It comes because the Royalty Studios station within the borough additionally faces closure in 2022.
Kensington MP Felicity Buchan informed the Normal: “The group has labored to maintain the station as a group asset and the council have given it that designation.
“The council has been placing a bid collectively and we wish it to be one thing that can nonetheless assist residents, equivalent to a GP surgical procedure.
“What we don’t need is for it to be purchased by a property developer who would flip it into luxurious flats, lots of which might most likely stay unoccupied.
“Nevertheless it seems MOPAC is simply seeking to promote to the best bidder. This isn’t only a Kensington matter, that is occurring throughout London.”
Deputy council chief Kim Taylor-Smith added: “This constructing is a group asset – it ought to keep that means.
“The very last thing I need is to see it bought to the best bidder to develop costly residences which might be snapped up by traders.”
Throughout England and Wales not less than 667 entrance counters have closed since 2010 resulting from cuts.
In March final yr Czech developer CPI Property purchased Savile Row police station from the Met in a deal price greater than £50million.
The identical month, the Met bought off Tooting Police Station for one more £8.25million and Cavendish Street in Clapham for £4.6million.
Final yr Paddington Inexperienced police station, which closed in 2018, was occupied by the Inexperienced Anti-Capitalist Entrance, who smeared “all cops are b*****ds” on the partitions. An utility has now been filed to transform it into 600 houses.
Excessive Barnet was one in every of 37 London police stations which had its entrance counter providers withdrawn in 2017. Final yr in was put up on the market.
Chipping Barnet MP Theresa Villiers mentioned: “The Mayor ought to scrap his plans to unload so many police stations.
“In offering a base from which officers can function, these stations play a vital function in police visibility.
“Extra police station selloffs will imply a retreat for policing and can imply officers grow to be additional indifferent from the communities they serve.”
Metropolis Corridor mentioned Mr Khan will retain a 24 hour police counter in each borough.
A spokesman for the Mayor mentioned MOPAC has an obligation to function beneath finest worth and “are legally required to acquire one of the best consideration when disposing of property”.
They added: “The tough choice to shut Notting Hill Police Station entrance counter and to plan for the disposal of the location was taken in 2017 with a view to defend police officer numbers as a lot as attainable within the face of presidency funding cuts.
“The Mayor’s prime precedence has at all times been to maintain Londoners protected and it was proper that the frontline was prioritised over buildings that weren’t match for function.
“The Mayor has supplied the Royalty Studios counter on Lancaster Street, which has proved to be an vital contact level between the Grenfell group and the native police crew.
“Following suggestions from the area people, a choice was made to proceed to maintain the counter open till December 2022 when the choice can be reviewed.”
