Lancashire Police lodges plans for £75m HQ transformation

If approved, the constabulary’s Saunders Lane and Lindle Lane sites in South Ribble would be overhauled, resulting in the creation of 550,000 sq ft of new-build facilities. 

New offices, sleeping accommodation, training facilities, and multistorey car parks all form part of the £75m, 10-year strategy, first announced last year. 

The existing pavilion building and part of the main office block would be retained. 

All other buildings, including former police houses and training facilities, are to be demolished as the police force bids to “consolidate the estate footprint into a centralised campus”. 

A hybrid planning application for the scheme has been submitted to South Ribble Council. 

The project, which is entirely located within the Green Belt, would be delivered in phases.  

Full consent is sought for the following new-build elements at the 40-acre Saunders Lane site: 

• A 90,000 sq ft HQ building 
• A 60,000 sq ft support building 
• A 94,000 sq ft multistorey car park with 296 spaces 
• A 1,000 sq ft gatehouse 

McBains is leading on design. Credit: via planning documents

Additionally, the 15-acre Lindle Lane campus overhaul, located a short distance away, also features in the first phase of the project. 

This would see around 20,000 sq ft of kennels and stables built for the force’s dogs and horses. 

Outline consent is sought for an additional 130,000 sq ft of decked car parking, 33,000 sq ft of sleeping accommodation, a 52,000 sq ft training school, and a 68,000 sq ft building featuring sports hall, gym, and firing range.  

Architect McBains is advising Lancashire Constabulary on the proposals. The project team also features Ares Landscape Architects, SCP Transport, and acoustic consultants Cass Allen. 

Hydraulic modelling expert JBA, fire engineer BB7, geotechnical consultants A-Squared Studio, and measured building survey specialist Pell Frischmann are also attached to the scheme. 

Lea Hough is the project’s chartered surveyor. E3p is providing ecology and arboricultural advice. 

Police and crime commissioner Andrew Snowden announced his intention to lead the redevelopment of the site late last year. 

Snowden described the plans as a “landmark moment for policing and crime prevention” in the county, noting that many of the buildings at Saunders Lane are 75 years old. 

To learn more about the plans, search for reference number 07/2023/00070/FUL on South Ribble’s planning portal.