Seven former east Suffolk police stations are facing demolition or conversion to new uses.
Suffolk Constabulary has closed to the public all bar three police stations – Ipswich, Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds – in the county and with more officers working from centralised bases smaller premises are needed.
Joint bases are now being created with the fire service, with fire stations being extended to accommodate Safer Neighbourhood Teams.
The latest application to be submitted to Suffolk Coastal council proposes demolition of Aldeburgh police station in Leiston Road and development of the one-acre site with 19 new homes – six of them affordable.
Meanwhile, plans have been submitted to extend and remodel the fire station in King George’s Avenue, Leiston, to provide offices for the police, with the expectation that plans to develop the police station in Kings Road will follow.
Residents have outlined several concerns over development of the Aldeburgh police station site, including worries over increased traffic and road danger, the impact on the local doctor’s surgery and sewerage system, density too high, and the need for affordable starter/first time buyer homes.
Site owners Flagship Housing Developments said: “The re-design of the scheme in response to all comments has attempted to reconcile issues raised wherever possible and the scheme now presented as a full planning application represents sustainable development of a good design standard taking into account the need to make best use of this brownfield site given that there are so very few potential housing development sites of any colour in Aldeburgh.”
Councillors recently gave the go-ahead for the derelict police station in Woodbridge to be converted into 14 flats. The site has since been sold for £1.1m.
At Framlingham, the go-ahead has been given for six almshouses to be built on the site of the old police station in Badingham Road, while in Saxmundham the police will move next month from the old police station, which has been bought by the town council to use as a community hub.
Permission is being sought to remodel Beccles fire station to accommodate police officers, and work is almost complete on a similar project at Felixstowe, where the police station in Glenfield Avenue is expected to be converted for homes.
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