Lancashire Constabulary HQ completed

Staff at Lancashire Constabulary are preparing to move into new headquarters in Blackpool, following the completion of the £24m project by contractor Willmott Dixon and architect McBains.

The facility sits on a 110,000 sq ft site on the outskirts of Blackpool, near the M55 motorway, and will house the police force’s West Division, alongside one of the largest custody suites in the UK.

The three-storey building will replace the West Division’s existing base on Bonny Street.

The site’s 42-cell suite is housed in a semi-circular precast concrete building. By positioning the main custody desk centrally, with the cell corridors radiating out, the suite guarantees custody officers a line of sight to each cell corridor.

Mark Baseby, director at McBains, said: “The external appearance of the building takes its cues from Blackpool and the vibrant seaside environment with the use of colour and form derived from the sea and sand.  The internal central atrium space is known as the Promenade.

“The essence of the scheme is the interface of three contrasting building types and fusing them together in an efficient and flexible way. This will provide an improved environment for staff and detainees, while delivering important efficiencies for the force.”