Avon and Somerset Police will soon be making Brympton Way its temporary home
Released On 18th Dec 2019
Avon and Somerset Police is to temporarily become a new tenant at a South Somerset District Council (SSDC) building.
The constabulary will be temporarily letting part of the ground floor at the Council’s building in Brympton Way while the new police centre is built at the existing police station site at Horsey Lane.
Importantly, the public enquiry office will remain open at Horsey Lane for the duration of the construction work with opening hours remaining the same as those currently in place.
Plans for the initial re-development of the station at Horsey Lane were approved by SSDC’s Area South committee in 2018 with a more detailed application due to be submitted shortly.
Cllr John Clark, portfolio holder for economic development including commercial strategy said: “This agreement is an incredibly positive one for both the council and Avon and Somerset Police.
“We have been able to provide a space that meets the needs of the police force at an important time while also continuing to achieve the aims of our innovative commercial strategy.
“We’re really pleased to be able to support the police, one of our key partners, through a time of change while making efficient use of public buildings.”
How will this affect residents and businesses?
There will be no impact on residents and businesses in terms of SSDC. Earlier this year, the Council opened its new Customer Connect space at Petters House in Petters Way, Yeovil, which is where the majority of enquiries which cannot be dealt with online or over the phone can be handled.
The building has undergone a huge transformation and digital upgrade to create a brand new customer hub with self-service customer access points, a self-scanner for uploading document evidence, interview booths, open plan seating and private consultation rooms.
The SSDC website also continues to be upgraded to deal with a wide a range of enquiries.
With regard to the police, as stated, the move to Brympton Way is temporary and only involves the Response, Neighbourhood and Investigations teams not the enquiry office which will remain at the Horsey Lane site for the duration of the construction.
Mike Prior, Somerset Area Commander for Avon & Somerset Police said: “The construction of a new build Police Centre in Yeovil is an exciting development for the staff and community of Yeovil. We will continue to deploy and have the same number of police officers and PCSOs as there are currently – the changes will only affect the building.
"The newly built Police Centre will continue to have an Enquiry Office open to the public and a base for the Neighbourhood and Patrol teams. There will also continue to be space available for the Investigations Teams and all the support teams currently based at Yeovil police station.
“Arrangements have been made for staff based at the current site to temporarily move to the South Somerset District Council local offices in Brympton Way in early 2020. We anticipate that construction will be finished and the new Police Centre will be fully open for use by autumn 2021.”
Avon and Somerset Police will be organising a public information event in early 2020 to provide further information on the development, details of which will be released in the coming weeks.
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