Police Station Move To Llay Takes Step Forward

Plans to relocate the police divisional headquarters in Wrexham are a step closer as North Wales Police secure land on the Llay industrial estate for a new building.

Plans are also in the pipeline to secure a new town centre station, which has been previously mentioned to Wrexham.com as being a smaller station rather than the concrete monolith that exists.

The current divisional headquarters on the Bodhyfryd site in Wrexham were built in the 1970’s. With poor facilities and high running costs the building is no longer suitable for 21st century policing.

With the ‘rigorous demands’ of a modern custody facility renovating the building is not considered a viable option.

Chief Constable Mark Polin said “In 2011 we carried out a full review of our estate and it was highlighted that Wrexham police station was no longer fit for purpose.  Due to the age of the building and the custody suite falling short of the requirements of a modern custody facility, simply upgrading or renewing individual parts of the building is not an option and there is urgent need for change.”

“We have been working closely with Wrexham County Borough Council and local agents to find suitable land in the Wrexham area to build new policing facilities.”

“We will be building a brand new custody suite and administration offices on a recently purchased piece of land at Llay industrial estate opposite the well-established Sharp factory. This custody suite will be ideally located to service Flintshire and Wrexham and will allow North Wales Police to meet the demands of a modern police environment.”

In addition to the new area headquarters North Wales Police will open a new police station in the town centre collocating with Wrexham County Borough Council.  The new facility will enable the Wrexham policing team including response, Police community support officers, the neighbourhood team and a front counter service for the public to remain in the town centre.

Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales, Winston Roddick said “We are committed to maintaining the local police presence in Wrexham and we feel that keeping our response officers and the front counter in the heart of Wrexham supports this commitment.”

“We can reassure the public that there will be a smooth transition to the new sites.”

North Wales Police say thet are working with partners and authorised professionals to successfully relocate the Peregrine falcons currently nesting on the Bodhyfryd tower to a safe haven at St Giles’s Church which we are grateful for.  We will engage with partner agencies to determine future plans for the Bodhyfryd Site.

A thread has been started on our forums debating this news – you can take part by clicking here!