Police given permission to open new Croydon town centre base

By Ian Austen

ian.austen@essnmedia.co.uk

Police are to step up their town centre presence with the opening of a new office close to the main shopping areas.

Croydon Council's planning committee has granted permission for the Metropolitan Police to open the office in the former Lloyds TSB bank premises at 2 to 4 Park Street.

The unit will be able to accommodate up to 90 officers and in addition to offices, will include a briefing room, a communications equipment room, stores and locker rooms.

It will act as a base for the town centre police team, safer transport officers and the Fairfield Safer Neighbourhood Team.

The premises were originally due to be demolished to make way for Minerva's Park Place retail development.

But with the scheme now very much on ice, Minerva is letting out units on short-term leases to bring life back into the Park Street/St George's Walk area.

The Met are taking advantage of this by using the new office to allow officers to be closer to the areas they police instead of having to travel from Croydon's main police station, in Park Lane.

When the application was submitted earlier this year, a Met resources spokesman said: "The office should improve our visibility within the town centre, as well as having a major effect on dealing with any anti-social behaviour and providing reassurance to shops owners and their customers."

The police have not set an opening date for the new office.