Police sell vacant station in town centre

Northamptonshire Police officers moved out of their base on London Road, Kettering, seven years ago

A former town centre police station that closed in 2017 has been sold.

The station on London Road in Kettering shut when officers relocated to the Weekley Wood Justice Centre on the outskirts of town.

The Office of Northamptonshire's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner [OFPCC] said contracts on the sale had been exchanged and it was "working closely with North Northamptonshire Council to progress the sale to completion". The police owned 60% of the site and the council owned 40%, it added.

The buyer and the sale price have yet to be disclosed. The council confirmed it was not buying it outright.

The site was originally built in 1851 and then rebuilt in the late 1960s.

In 2018, the former Kettering Borough Council signed a contract to purchase the old station, having already bought the nearby former magistrates' court and adjacent homes.

It was part of plans at the time to build new homes and commercial buildings.

Northamptonshire's police, fire and crime commissioner, Danielle Stone, said: "The police and fire estate needs significant investment to make it fit for purpose.

"I know that this is a significant challenge that won't be solved overnight, but I am committed to making sure the public estate works for the community as a safe workplace for the police and fire officers and staff."

As reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a freedom of information request sent to the OFPCC revealed that the only other building in the county flagged for future disposal is Towcester police station.

An OFPCC spokesperson said the building, which has been used as an office base for the neighbourhood police team, is "large", "expensive", "outdated" and "does not meet policing needs in 2024".

They said it had been on the disposal list for several years, but plans had been delayed due to an application to make it a listed building.