“Tongues are wagging” about a new facility that’s set to house Princes Risborough’s policing team – after their station went up for sale.
Princes Risborough Police Station, which also houses the Chepping Wye Valley policing team after Hazlemere Police Station was sold, is set to be vacated in April this year after the Longwick Road property also went up for sale in 2021.
Instead, the town’s policing team and the Chepping Wye team will both be based in a new purpose-built facility that’s currently being constructed on the site of Princes Risborough Fire Station in New Road.
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But there have apparently been concerns from people in the town that their new police office is “small”.
Speaking to sergeant Nathan Davey at a North West Chilterns Community Board meeting this month, Princes Risborough councillor Gary Hall said the new office has been a talking point in the town.
He said: “Tongues are wagging about your new facility at Princes Risborough Fire Station. It does look quite small.”
Sgt Davey made no comment about the size of the new office, but said he was pleased that work had finally started after many years of discussions.
He said: “It is what it is. It’s the new building we have got. We’re due to get an update within the next week about it.
“I don’t know when it will be ready but it looks like they are making good progress. It’s good that it’s started because it’s been a few years in the making.
“We’re going to be based from there, as well as the Chepping Wye team that we have based at the station. We’ll continue to do our business from a nice new building.”
Sgt Davey said there is an “agreement” with the fire station – which is an ‘on-call’ site and is not staffed full-time – that officers can use their facilities.
It’s not clear yet if their Longwick Road police station has been sold yet. The deadline for bids was December 17 last year, but online property sites like Rightmove have not marked it as being sold.
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According to the listing, the site – which features a single-storey office block, a three-bedroom house and a garden and garages – would be “suitable for commercial uses”.
Rightmove says: “Redevelopment of the building and site may be possible subject to the relevant planning permissions.”
Thames Valley Police is selling off a number of their police stations. Most recently, Chesham’s Broad Street station went on the market, and similarly, will also be vacated in April 2022 as they look to move to a “new neighbourhood police office” in the town centre.
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