Police win Salfords custody suite planning battle (From Redhill And Reigate Life)

Police win Salfords custody suite planning battle

1:40pm Wednesday 20th July 2011 in Local News

Surrey Police have won their planning battle with villagers in Salfords and been given the go-ahead to build a new custody suite there.

Local residents and Salfords and Sidlow Parish Council were left “massively disappointed” yesterday at the news the Force's scheme for a 24-cell suite had been approved.

The decision came after a Public Inquiry was held over four days at Salfords Village Hall last month.

The Planning Inspector's decision overturned Reigate and Banstead Borough Council's rejection of the scheme last year.

The council's planners had themselves gone against their own officer's recommendation for it to be approved.

A petition of 250 names had been raised by villagers against the application for the suite, to be sited in the largest industrial unit on the Io centre in Salbrook Road.

The borough council received more than 300 letters of objection.

This week, Salfords and Sidlow Parish Council chairman Clive Elliot said there had been “overwhelming opposition to it.”

But he said while the parish council are “very unhappy” and “don't feel it's the right decision,” he believes they have to accept it.

He said: “There's nothing more we can do.”

Acknowledging that they do not believe the Inspector made any mistakes in the judicial process which would be grounds for appeal in a judicial review, he said even if they felt otherwise, the parish council does not have the resources to mount such a challenge.

He said: “It's a High Court thing and would cost tens of thousands of pounds.

“We just have to accept it.”

But he added he did not feel the villagers' efforts against the plan were in vain - going to an appeal costing more than £20,000 paid for through local donations and a team-up between the parish council and local pressure group Salfords Against the Custody Suite (SACS).

He said: “I think we have, by objecting, probably extracted some guarantees and conditions from the police that we wouldn't otherwise have got.

“There are certain obligations imposed on the police in the way they run this thing, that might be helpful.

“But it's still a massive disappointment to everybody.

“There was overwhelming opposition to it within the built-up part of the village.”

Stuart Norton of SACS, now a parish councillor, echoed Mr Elliot's views.

He said: “We all knew we had a very tough fight on our hands. No-one ever questioned the need for more custody cells.

“The issue was whether Salfords was the right place to put the suite.”

Noting that the parish council and SACS did not have the resources to be able to back their case up at the Public Inquiry with the same level of expert witnesses, consultants and “fire-power” as the police, he said: “It was always a David and Goliath battle – and unfortunately, on this occasion, Goliath won.”

He said: “We've now got to re-focus on the future.

“The past is gone. There's nothing we can do that will change things.

“We've got to look to the future and make sure this suite works as unobtrusively as possible for the benefit of people living around it.”

He added: “The police, during the course of the Inquiry, undertook to set up a liaison, and I dare say there will be people that will come forward wanting to be part of it.

“I would hope that the police will be fairly magnanimous in victory and will look to work with the community.

“I think they've got some fences to mend.”

A statement from Surrey Police said the decision meant it would be able to provide an improved service to Surrey residents in the eastern side of the county.

It stated the current 12-cell custody provision at Reigate Police Station is “outdated and inadequate,” and pointed out that the new 24-modular cell custody suite will be based in an industrial unit in a non-residential area, and will ensure the Force remains operationally effective.

Surrey Police has four custody suites, located in Guildford, Staines, Woking and Reigate.

Detective Superintendent Ray Blythe said: "The current custody centre at Reigate Police Station has not been fit for purpose for some time.”

Det Supt Blythe said: "The decision yesterday means our ability to protect the community in East Surrey is not compromised by regular custody closures resulting in officers and staff having to travel to other police stations in Surrey.

“This was having a detrimental effect on resources available in East Surrey.”

He said: "We have worked exceptionally hard to find a solution, looking at various options to meet our clear operational need whilst being mindful of any impact on the local community.

“I am pleased the Inspector recognised our desire to work with the community in order to minimise impact on people in the area, whilst at the same time balancing that with the challenges of modern day policing."

The police statement added that the planning and procurement process to facilitate the site would get underway in due course.

It was last December that Surrey Police announced it was lodging an appeal against the borough council's refusal of its application, after “months of careful consideration” and having looked again at a number of alternative sites, including in Redhill and Epsom, which had been researched before last year's application was made, but were again ruled out as unsuitable.

The Force said it needed a new custody centre for alleged offenders before they were charged or released because the current custody provision of 12 cells at Reigate Police Station was not fit for purpose, and could not cope with existing demands.

In January, the parish council gave the thumbs down to the amended application from the Force, noting that the custody cell numbers had been reduced from 30 to 24, and that parking was to be provided for operational vehicles and visitors only, with staff using the adjoining estate road.

A public meeting called by the parish council in the village hall in January saw more than 99% of the turn-out of about 150 residents agree to fight the appeal.

After last month's four-day public inquiry at Salfords Village Hall, the parish council stated on its website: “The Public Inquiry was very well attended by Salfords residents, and both the parish council and SACS believe it went extremely well, and that little more could have been done to convince the Inspector of the strength of feeling in the village on the issue of 'fear of crime'.”