New police station approved for Isle of Wight
But there'll be no front counter
An Isle of Wight high street looks set to get a permanent police presence after plans for a hub were approved.
The former Watson Bull and Porter estate agent’s shop, on Cowes High Street, will now home the Cowes Neighbourhood Police Team.
The plans were lodged by the Office of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner, which determines how police funding is spent.
It is in a bid to make policing more visible. However, there would be no front counter, like in police stations, for the public to report concerns.
Instead, there would be an area designated for pre-arranged public appointments and a police telephone outside the building.
On Tuesday (25), the Isle of Wight Council approved plans to change the front of the shop, create an office and a rest area for officers.
Proposals come nearly nine years after Cowes Police Station, on Birmingham Road, was vacated. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary do still have offices in the town.
Isle of Wight Council planning officers say in their decision notice, the high street shop’s timber frontage is in a poor state and beyond viable repair so it will be replaced by a very similar timber shopfront.