Wiltshire PCC reluctant to put timeline on new Salisbury station
A £30m budget for a Southern Policing Hub has been approved
Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner has apologised to the public for the slow progress in securing a site for Salisbury's new police station.
Philip Wilkinson says he's "deeply frustrated" at the lack of movement but is unwilling to add a timeline to the project for fear of crashing the negotiations.
The Force currently shares spaces at Bourne Hill with Wiltshire Council, but both the PCC and Chief Constable, Catherine Roper, agree that that facility is not fit for purpose and are committed to delivering a bespoke policing hub for the south of the county.
A £30 million budget for a new Southern Policing Hub has been approved in the PCC's mid-term financial strategy, but the £19.8m allocated for the hub and touchdowns doesn't include provision of a custody unit.
Based on operational advice, it's felt that one isn't required and wouldn't offer value for money. However, they are looking to make the facility's layout flexible enough for a custody unit to be added in the future if its deemed necessary.
In December 2023, the PCC told Greatest Hits Radio that he felt they'd "cracked the problem" 10 months ago, only for a new type of planning permission to come into force.
That new planning permission, called Biodiversity Net Gain, requires an ecological survey of a potential new site and aims to positively benefit biodiversity in the area.
It meant that negotiations had to be reopened.
However, the PCC promised "significant" investment when planning permission is finally approved.