Uckfield police station may stay

In 2013 it was announced that the existing building in Newtown could shut down. If that happened, arrangements would be made for a police presence in an alternative building in the town.

But at Tuesday evening’s Town Council general purposes committee meeting, Cllr James Anderson (Trust Independent) told members police are now considering staying at their present home and making the building an area ‘hub.’ It could be converted into a base for response units.

UckfieldFM director Mike Skinner told the Express Cllr Anderson reported he had spoken to Sussex Police and as far as he knows they are considering keeping Uckfield Police Station and turning it into a response unit and a hub. He explained that it might be necessary to clarify what they are actually hoping to do. “The latest is that they would modernise it and operate it as a hub rather than use Hailsham or Eastbourne, because Uckfield is more central.”

One main alternative being considered by the Town Council was that policing could operate from the Civic Centre. On January 18, a Sussex Police representative approached the Council asking for an exploratory discussion about finding alternative premises in the town centre for community work. It was recommended that the Civic Centre manager should be encouraged to continue these discussions ‘with a view to providing a report to the General Purposes Committee on options that may be available.’ As a result four separate options were drawn up by the council. These were a front counter with a back office (with space for two workstations;) a front counter with neighbourhood police base (office big enough for 13 workstations, locker, meeting and interview rooms;) a satellite hub with counter and office big enough for 30 workstations) and a neighbourhood police area response base. At the time of going to press, police had not been able to comment on the building’s future.

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