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Police force buys land to create new £23m hub

Sophie ParkerWiltshire
News imageWiltshire Police Drone shot of a patch of in between housing estates, with fields off into the distance. Cars parked outside one building.Wiltshire Police
The new £23m police base will be built on land at Old Sarum near Salisbury

A police force has bought six acres of land in order to create a new £23m base in an area which has lost two police stations in recent years.

Wiltshire Police said it has bought the land at Old Sarum, north of Salisbury, in order to meet demand in the south of the county.

It will become the Southern Policing Hub for officers, staff and volunteers after a review showed the need for the facility.

The force's station in Salisbury closed in 2014, followed by the more recent closure of the station at Amesbury.

News imagePCC Philip Wilkinson smiles at the camera - he is dressed in a suit and tie. he stands in a civic building, blurred behind him.
PCC Philip Wilkinson said the force is committed to building the hub in south Wiltshire

The new hub will be home to response and neighbourhood teams and frontline units, which the force hopes will improve response times and visibility.

There are currently no plans to build a custody unit, but the land allows for future expansion if needed.

There are two custody suites in Wiltshire - at Swindon and Melksham - which can lead to long journeys if people are arrested elsewhere in the county.

News imageWiltshire Police A look at the land from the ground: a road leads up to it, where it goes into a dead end, with large metal fencing around a patch of brownfield land which has yellow long grass growing. Trees in the distance on a grey day.Wiltshire Police
It took four years to select the location for the new base

Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Philip Wilkinson said this was a "milestone" development for south Wiltshire after the search for the right location took four years.

"Securing this land is a clear demonstration of our long-term commitment to delivering a policing facility that is accessible, visible and operationally effective for the communities of south Wiltshire, even in the face of a difficult financial climate," he added.

The costs have included in the force's financial strategy - and will be funded by borrowing, which police said is "standard practice" in the public sector.

Mr Wilkinson said Wiltshire Police is "under no illusions about the financial pressures facing policing both locally and nationally".

The PCC's latest financial plan indicated the overall cost of the south Wiltshire hub would be £23.55m.

An outline planning application is expected to be submitted in the Autumn of 2026.

News imageChief Constable Catherine Roper smiles at the camera - she has a traditional police hat on with the Wiltshire insignia and is wearing a white shirt with black tie and high-wiz police uniform with walkie talkie. She stands in a street, which is blurred.
Chief Constable Catherine Roper said the development is a "significant step forward"

Chief Constable Catherine Roper said: "This is a significant step forward in providing a fully-functioning estate for my officers and staff in the south of our county.

"I believe well-placed and well-equipped police sites provide the base for my teams to work smarter, adapt to changing crime demand and, more importantly, provide greater presence to our communities."

The force will make sure the new hub will provide value for money, she added.

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