Planning OK given for new police base

Planning OK given for new police base

28 November 2012

THE PSNI has secured formal planning approval to build its new £10m police headquarters at the Downshire estate in Downpatrick.

It is expected that the base — which will replace the current station in Irish Street — will be operational in three years’ time.

Construction work is scheduled to start shortly on the three-storey building which will provide officers and members of the public with a modern police base.

Formal planning approval for the new area command unit, which is being funded by the Policing Board, came at Monday night’s meeting of Down Council.

Downpatrick councillors say the closure of the Irish Street station will play a key role in assisting with the regeneration of the town centre. The Roads Service aims to build a new road through the site of the current police base to link Irish Street with St. Patrick’s Avenue.

Councillor Dermot Curran said the construction of the new PSNI base “further cements” the creation of a new public sector campus at the Downshire site.

It is already home to the new Downe Hospital and Down Council’s new administrative centre and the Housing Executive has relocated to the Downshire site from its former district office at Irish Street.

Councillor Curran said the multi-million pound redevelopment of the Downshire site over recent years has provided the local construction industry with a major boost when it needed it most.

“Those who had the vision to transform the Downshire site into Northern Ireland’s first public sector campus deserve praise. That vision has become a reality and I hope more investment can be attracted to the site,” he said.

“While all the new investment is welcome, it’s vital that steps are now taken to address Downpatrick’s town centre traffic congestion. New investment is very welcome, but we need to make sure our roads infrastructure can cope with current and future demand.”