Development of Wrexham’s Two New Police Stations Set For Approval

Plans to create a new Wrexham Police Headquarters and a town centre police base are set to be approved next week. 

In two separate applications due to go before Wrexham’s Planning Committee on Monday evening, it is recommended that plans to develop a new police headquarters and create a new town centre police base are approved.

The first application is in relation to the development of what will be Wrexham’s main police headquarters on Davy Way on Llay Industrial Estate.

Initial plans for the relocation of Wrexham’s Police Station were first revealed by Wrexham.com in October 2013 after it was discovered that land on Llay Industrial Estate had been secured for the development of the new facility. The land previously was used as the Sharps Electronic Warehouse however at present the site is vacant.

In the application submitted in August it has been proposed that the existing portal frame warehouse is demolished and the site is redeveloped to provide police office storage, a custody building, ancillary parking and new access from Davy Way.

One of the main concerns put forward regarding the development relates to traffic, with fears that it could become ‘intolerable’ for residents if the application is granted planning permission.

The fears which have been raised by Llay Community Council state: “There is growing concern that the traffic situation for residents of Llay will become intolerable with the additional traffic this development will create, both during construction and on completion. There are only two main roads into Llay from most of the surrounding areas, and traffic levels are already high.”

However Head of Community Wellbeing & Development Lawrence Isted notes in Monday’s report: “Highways have not expressed any concern about the continued use of the existing site accesses to serve the proposed development and have confirmed that the proposed access meets current highway design standards. I am therefore satisfied the development will not prejudice highway safety along Davy Way.”

Concerns have also been put forward by the community council regarding those who are released from custody and potential transport issues they may face.

Comments by the Community Council state: “There is deep concern that when people are released from custody/questioning etc etc, presumably at all hours of the day and night, they will be a fair distance from main public transport routes and would presumably wander around the locality whilst considering what to do next. This has obviously not been an issue when the previous building was placed centrally in Wrexham Town Centre, with the supporting network of transport availability (main bus station, numerous taxi ranks and train services) but this will not be the case.”

Addressing the concerns, Mr Isted from Wrexham Council notes that: “North Wales Police have advised me that similar procedures will be adopted to those in use at their St Asaph facility which is served by infrequent public transport. Detainees will be allowed to make calls from the site using on-site telephones if they wish to make their own transport arrangements. Alternatively North Wales Police will arrange for a local taxi company to transport detainees from the site.”

A second application regarding the conversion of the former Oriel Gallery into a new ‘town centre base’ for North Wales Police, is also set to go be granted approval by members of the committee.

Back in September Wrexham.com first reported that there were formal plans for the conversion of the former Oriel Gallery into a police station in place, with the current police tower on the Bodhyfryd site set to be demolished in August 2016. As it has been well documented, part of the domino effect sees the Oriel Wrecsam no longer occupying the space in the Wrexham Library and has since moved to Chester Street next to the People’s Market, and could end up part of the “OW People’s Market”

The proposed Police development would see a smaller town centre base than what is currently available in Wrexham – however the application proposed a new frontage is built onto the Wrexham Library to house office space and a new reception area. The new feature extension will be over two floors, with the lower housing a new reception area with counter service space and a private interaction room. Upstairs the new extension will contain three new offices.

Around 99 people could work at the police station, which will allow ‘operational response, investigation offices and ‘touch down’ facilities for community police officers’.

One of the main issues raised in relation to the planning application has been in relation to parking, with several car parking spaces expected to be lost as a result of the development.

Comments raised by the community council state: “The existing disabled parking facility
adjacent to the library is to be taken away to be used by the police. The number of spaces lost should be replaced by additional spaces in the library car park.

Similar concerns are also raised by AWOW, who note: “AVOW has taken over the running of the
Shopmobility service at bus station and a number of users use the car park area at the back of the library to utilise this service.

“There is limited car parking in the space between the Shopmobility entrance and Trinity Church, none of which has designated blue badge parking provision which results in any member of the public being able to use the space.”

However with regards to car parking, Mr Isted states: “I understand, as part of the discussions to lease the building to North Wales Police, that the Council have considered other options to decant those existing designated spaces elsewhere within the vicinity of the site.

“As part of the extension to the building, the applicant has proposed one additional designated space. I understand that the Council have proposed the relocation of the balance of lost spaces by remarking 7 of the adjacent general spaces as designated spaces. The loss of these general spaces in the library car park would then be accounted for in the future remodelling of the Bodhyfryd/Waterworld carpark.

“The main issue for consideration whether the repositioning of these designated spaces will be acceptable in terms of the distance required to walk to the Shopmobility service. I acknowledge that the loss of these spaces will require users to walk further from existing and newly proposed provision. However, there are existing designated spaces within the library car park, therefore it is accepted to a certain extent that this is a suitable distance to walk between this provision.”

Mr Isted adds in the report: “I am satisfied that the provision of a police station facility within this building is a suitable use within this sustainable town centre location. It would provide for the retention of a key service within the town centre and can be implemented without causing harm to amenity or highway safety. As such I recommend accordingly.”

Both applications will be put before Wrexham’s Planning Committee at 4pm on Monday 7th December. For those who can’t make the meeting it will be webcast live on the Wrexham Council website.