Willmott Dixon agrees £20m facility for Humberside Police Force

The 107,000 square foot, three-storey operational support building, will be constructed next to the force’s existing facility at Melton West Business Park near Hull. Accommodating over 500 staff, the new building will contain a new control room, handling all telephone calls and public contact. It will also house specialist units including major crime investigation to free up space in other buildings to accommodate the uplift in police officers which has increased by approximately 500 since 2016.

The development is a joint project between Humberside Police Force, Melton West landowners and developers Wykeland Group. The design includes sustainable features such as energy efficient heating and lighting systems, plus use of environmentally-friendly materials and facilities to encourage staff to cycle to and from work.

Procured via Major Works England and Northern Ireland, it is scheduled for completion and opening in 2022.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Keith Hunter, who has responsibility for the force estate said: “I am delighted that planning permission has been granted for the new police building at Melton. At this moment of national crisis, our thoughts and efforts are naturally on dealing with the tragedy affecting many families and coping with the stresses on our NHS and other public services.

“It is, nevertheless, hugely important to consider how we emerge from this and position our public services for the future, in what will inevitably be a challenging time as businesses try to re-build, and people who have lost jobs try to regain their former employment or seek new work. Being able to confirm this new building will now go ahead is therefore a great announcement for our area. It will create jobs and boost supply lines throughout the Humber region. This go-ahead is a statement that we will emerge and Humberside Police will continue to drive forward its ambition to be an outstanding police force. We must invest for the future.

Anthony Dillon, managing director of Willmott Dixon in the North follows on by saying:

“It’s critical that those who work around the clock to keep us all safe have the right facilities and a suitable working environment for 21st century policing. These new modern facilities for Humberside Police are designed to create a state-of-the-art environment, giving control room teams and officers in specialist units the very best support they need to serve the people of Humberside.

“We’re proud to be working in partnership once again with Humberside Police to support the modernisation of its estate, having also delivered the Birchin Way custody facility in Grimsby, the first to be delivered using our CODE pre-designed concept which we believe is the next generation for custodial facilities.”

This latest police scheme enhances Willmott Dixon’s presence as a major constructor of blue light and custodial facilities. The company has been responsible for schemes worth nearly £200m in the last three years supporting our emergency services to make better use of their property to become more efficient, save on running costs and to create a better environment for staff and detainees.