THE town’s crumbling police station will close its doors for the final time in the new year, it emerged today.

And that could be the catalyst for an extension to the long-awaited development of the former Civic Centre site next door.

The Elm Street headquarters is already largely empty after most of its staff transferred to the new police/county council offices at Landmark House on the edge of the town.

All that is left is the front desk where members of the public can meet officers, a base for the local Safer Neighbourhood Team and other officers who work in the town centre.

The police are hoping to move to another town centre base early in the new year – a potential location has been identified but nothing has yet been signed and sealed.

Suffolk Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: “The police station will not close until the new town centre office is open for business.

“We hope to be in our new office in the centre of the town early in the new year – but whatever happens I am sure we will be out of the police station during 2013.”

The closure of the police station and the former Crown Court building will potentially lead to a significant expansion of the site for the proposed Westgate Centre which is due to be built by Cambridge-based Turnstone Estates.

If Turnstone was to buy the police station and court site it would enable a more comprehensive development of the site – although the proposals have been hit by the proposed Tesco development in Grafton Way and by the increased emphasis on developing the town centre towards the Waterfront.

nWill you be sorry to see the end of the police station? Write to Your Letters, Ipswich Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail starletters@archant.co.uk