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House demolition date set at site of new police base

Lewis Adams
BBC News, Essex
Essex Police A two-storey house made out of brick that has been partially boarded up. It has a fence in front of it and a tree to the side. The surrounding scene is overgrown and the house has clearly not been used for some time.Essex Police
The old station commander's house at a fire station in Dovercourt, Essex, will make way for a new police building

A date has been set for the demolition of a house at a site earmarked for a new police station.

Work to pull down a former fire commander's house in Fronks Road, Dovercourt, Essex, will begin on 27 January.

It will be replaced by a two-storey police station. Plans for the scheme were approved in October 2023.

Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Nolan said staff deserved a station that "meets the needs of the 21st century".

The house being demolished is next to a fire station.

It is 1.5 miles (2.4km) from Essex Police's 111-year-old site in Main Road, Harwich, which was one of 15 in Essex that had its front counter closed in 2015.

Essex Police A red and yellow fire engine parked next to a blue, yellow and white police car. They are both in front of a fire station, which has large red doors.Essex Police
Police chiefs hope the new base will enable greater collaboration with the fire service

Essex Police said the new station would serve as an operational policing base for officers. It will not have a front counter.

Ms Nolan said both police and firefighters could work together to "keep our communities safe" due to their close proximity.

Roger Hirst, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, added: "It's taken a lot of hard work from all partners to get to this crucial point, which encapsulates closer future collaboration between both services."

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