Police Get Approval for HQ Redevelopment and New Access

Published on: 9 Nov, 2024
Updated on: 10 Nov, 2024

Proposed Redevelopment of Mount Browne, Surrey Police HQ. Image: Surrey Police

By Emily Dalton

local democracy reporter

In the third major planning decision made by Guildford Brough Council this week, proposals to redevelop Surrey Police headquarters at Mount Browne have been given the go-ahead. The changes also include a new access road, which the Force says will speed up response times from Mount Browne by two minutes.

The significant modifications to the police’s home include demolition and rebuilding of the dog school, accommodation for police students, and a new Contact and Deployment centre, a multi-storey car park with electrical charging points.

Members of Guildford Borough Council’s (GBC) Planning Committee unanimously approved both applications on November 6. At the same meeting plans for a solar farm on land to the west of the University of Surrey and Weyside Urban Village were also passed.

Councillors praised the Surrey Police application for the compactness of the development, with no overall height increase and limited harm to the green belt.

One of the applications included a new western arm to Artington Roundabout, which the Force says will reduce traffic on neighbouring roads like Sandy Lane and The Ridges.

Proposed access road on the Artington Roundabout. Image: Surrey Police

Straight through the middle of an open field, the new access road would be visible and harm the Green Belt as well as agricultural land, council officers said. However, they also noted even small improvements in police response times can have a large positive impact on how emergencies can be handled.

The second application relates to the redevelopment and modernisation of the site, including demolition and construction of operational buildings, as well as internal refurbishment of the old building, corridor wing and sports building.

Mount Browne, on the outskirts of Guildford, has been the headquarters for Surrey Police for over 70 years. The current site contains a large number of buildings which have been constructed mainly on a piecemeal basis and are judged no longer fit for purpose by the Force.

Current site of Surrey Police HQ, Mount Browne. Photo: Surrey Police

The benefits of the scheme include high quality facilities to meet the ongoing operational needs of the police, as well as staff retention and well-being, according to the report before councillors. Replacing the dog kennels was also said to provide significant improvements to operations. Officers told the committee that currently all the training dogs can see each other in the kennels, so if one dog barks “they all go off”.

PCC Lisa Townsend Photo Darren Pepe.

Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Lisa Townsend, has welcomed the decision, calling it a “significant milestone for the Force”. A six-week judicial review period now awaits before Surrey Police can take decisions on the next steps.

Mrs Townsend added: “Mount Browne has been Surrey Police’s home for over 70 years, but the buildings here are run down, expensive to maintain and simply no longer meet the requirements of a modern police force.”

The PCC and Surrey Police’s Chief Officer decided in 2021 that the Force should remain at Mount Browne, on the edge of Guildford, rather than seek a new location.

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