Work on new £1.9m Wrexham police station to start next week

Work is set to start on a new £1.9m police station in Wrexham on Monday.

Over the next 14 months the former Oriel Art Gallery, next to the library, will be transformed into a new state-of-the-art station as the shake-up of policing in Wrexham continues.

Police chiefs say it will provide the full range of “front of house” services in the town centre while the divisional headquarters, along with back-up activities, are moved to a new command and custody base in Llay .

Both new facilities will replace the present Wrexham headquarters based in a 1970s tower block at Bodhyfryd which is no longer fit for purpose.

That site is being sold off with the building earmarked for demolition.

According to North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, Arfon Jones, the new station at the former art centre, will keep a range of vital frontline services in the heart of Wrexham.

Mr Jones, a former police inspector who served in Wrexham during his career, said: “The present headquarters building is well past its usefulness and it’s been extremely difficult and expensive to keep the fabric properly maintained.

“While the Eastern Divisional police headquarters is being moved into a purpose-built new base in Llay along with a range of back-up services, I believe it has been of absolute importance to see that frontline services are retained as close as possible to Wrexham town centre.”

Mr Jones added: “Based in the new station will be the local Safer Neighbourhood Team, the response teams for the central area along with both the supervision sergeant and inspector.

“The station will also be equipped with the very latest equipment to make for the swiftest possible response and detection of crime.”

The former gallery has been made available to North Wales Police on a 10-year leasing arrangement with Wrexham County Borough Council.

Construction work should take 44 weeks with completion scheduled for July next year.

The station should open its doors to the public in August.

Wrexham town inspector Inspector Paul Wycherley, said: “The inspector and the sergeant for the town centre will both based at the new station as will the Wrexham Safer Neighbourhood Team and the patrol officers who provide 24/7 cover for the area.

“Altogether 90 staff will report there with about 25 of them working at any one time.”

The new station will occupy two floors in what had been the Oriel Gallery, which has now moved to Chester Street in the town.

Andrew Foster, site manager for MPH Construction, said: “We have previously worked successfully on a number of projects for North Wales Police and we’re looking forward to starting work on this one which will be of the very latest design.”

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