Work due to begin on new police headquarters

Work is due to begin on Surrey Police's new eastern headquarters, three years after it was forced to vacate its Reigate base after the discovery of unstable reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).

The force was granted planning permission for the Cleeve Road site in Leatherhead in November and, according to papers filed to Mole Valley District Council, expects to start preparatory work on 7 September.

It has been temporarily based at Surrey Fire & Rescue Service's former site in Wray Park, Reigate.

A Surrey Police spokesperson said the new site would be "financially sustainable" and "ensure officers and staff had the facilities needed to investigate crime and keep communities safe".

The force said the Leatherhead site best met its needs because it had "good access to the local area and major road links, while the improved facilities would also help in attracting and retaining staff".

If the project proceeds as planned, the main work to create a new headquarters for 500 officers and staff will begin in February 2027, with the base built on what is now an unused car park.

At the time the plans were approved, permission was also granted for 40 affordable homes on the site, however, these will be built separately.

Stage two will see the existing redundant buildings demolished to make way for a residential block accommodating the homes, which the police would like to use for its own staff.

Surrey Police originally bought the site in 2018 for nearly £20.5m but plans to move in were put on hold as it considered shifting staff to Guildford, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

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