Police Could Be Based on Chiswick High Road Again
Councillors help arrange deal with station developer to provide facilities
January 19, 2024
The police may have a base in Chiswick again following a deal being struck with the developers of the former station site.
Following lobbying by local councillors, Birchgrove, which is planning to demolish the building on the High Road and convert it into flats for the elderly, has agreed to provide facilities within the development to be used by the Metropolitan Police.
The development of 205-211 Chiswick High Road still needs to get planning permission and it was expected to be considered by the borough planning committee before the end of last year.
Currently the local police team under Sergeant Jim Cope serving the Chiswick wards of Gunnersbury, Homefields and Riverside have to report for work at the station in Acton and then use public transport to get to their regular beat. This makes it difficult to honour a commitment to never be more than 20 minutes away from the areas for which the Safer Neighbourhood Teams’ Police Constables and Police Community Support Officers are responsible .
The idea for the return of the police to the site came up at the public meeting on crime held by local councillors last year. Cllr Ranjit Gill, who represents Chiswick Gunnersbury ward and is Conservative spokesperson on police and crime, was approached by Anil Puri, the local Police Superintendent who asked if he could assist in finding them a base in Chiswick.
Cllr Gill said, “I know my colleagues and I have been trying very hard to locate a safe place for the Police. I put Mr Puri in touch with my contact in Birchgrove as I knew from previous discussions that they were willing to provide accommodation for the police.”
He continued, “The new development by Birchgrove should afford the Police the ability to report for duty on Chiswick High Road and be at work within minutes. The development, which is currently with the Council for consideration and approval, can accommodate a secure changing room with lockers and shower, charging points for their body-worn cameras and communication devices, and safe storage for their tasers. In addition, PC Jim Cope and his team of ten will have access to two rooms in which to attend to their paperwork, have team meetings and make those important calls to witnesses and victims of crime within the borough in a private space.”
“The benefits to the residents of the new community from Birchgrove is that they will be able to feel part of the wider community and contributing to the vibrancy of Chiswick High Road. Clearly, having the police based in a building open 24 hours a day can only help make the three wards feel more secure.
“I hope this gives the Chiswick residents the assurance they need with greater Police presence in Chiswick. I would like to thank Birchgrove and the support of the leader of the Council.”
The proposal has also received the backing of the leader of Hounslow Council, Shantanu Rajawat.
A visualisation of the development provided with the planning application. Picture: Birchgrove
If and when the new facility opens remains unclear as the completion date of the Birchgrove project is not currently known assuming it gains planning approval.
Comments can be made on the application the details of which can be found by searching using the reference (P/2023/1632) on Hounslow Council's planning pages.
Like Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism. Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets. We’ve always done that and won’t be changing, in fact we’d like to do more. However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do. We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area. A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site. One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute. If you do support us in this way we’d be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor. For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you’d like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site. |