A local building contractor has been selected to construct the new £18.5m joint police and fire headquarters in Arnold.
The new building will be constructed on land behind the existing Nottinghamshire Police headquarters at Sherwood Lodge and is scheduled to open by the end of 2021.
Work on the new building, which will include a control room, training centre, changing rooms, gym, canteen and shared offices, is expected to begin next month.
Once complete it will form part of a wider joint campus that will also include all of the existing police headquarters. After a competitive tendering process Nottingham-based Henry Brothers Midlands has been chosen to construct the new three storey building. A formal contract was agreed yesterday (Monday, June 29).
Since planning permission was granted in December 2019, a considerable amount of work has already taken place on this multi-phase project under the direction of construction consultancy Gleeds.
The site, which will include a new access road, additional car parking and improvements to existing facilities, has already been levelled and cleared – ahead of time and below budget.
Ian Taylor, Managing Director of Henry Brothers Midlands, said: “We are delighted to have been appointed to build this new joint headquarters building for Nottinghamshire Police and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.
“Henry Brothers has a wealth of experience when it comes to public sector buildings and we are proud to have been selected to work on such a high profile and important project for our local emergency services.”
The joint headquarters project is the next step in a series of collaboration projects between the two services, which already share premises at Highfields, West Bridgford and London Road fire stations, and at the new tri-service hub in Hucknall. The two organisations also jointly procure fuel, have a shared drone and incident welfare vehicle, and conduct joint safety and educational initiatives.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford said: “This is a significant day in the history of this project and also a good time to reflect on the huge amount of work that has taken place since we began preparing the ground once we got the planning decision at the back end of last year.
“I want to thank all those involved in getting us to this point, ahead of schedule and under budget. It is great news to have been able to have formalised this partnership with a trusted local contractor. Their bid represents excellent value for money for taxpayers. I am delighted that we are able to support so many local jobs on site and in the wider supply chain in what I know is a very challenging time for local businesses.”
Chief Fire Officer John Buckley said: “The appointment of a local contractor marks a significant step in the joint headquarters programme and is the culmination of a great amount of joint working between the two organisations to co-ordinate a robust and effective competitive tendering process.
“Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and Nottinghamshire Police have collaborated on a number of projects in recent years; our new joint headquarters is the next step in our collaboration journey and will pave the way for future partnership working for the benefit of the communities we serve.”
Chair of the Fire Authority, Cllr Michael Payne, added: “This is fantastic news in what has, in recent months, undoubtedly been an extremely challenging time for our police and fire staff, the wider public sector and our communities across the whole of the city and county.
“The appointment of a local company to build our new joint headquarters reinforces our commitment to the people of Nottinghamshire, and I look forward to the next phase of the project where we will start to see the redevelopment of Sherwood Lodge taking shape, and the relationship between the two organisations going from strength to strength.”
Paddy Tipping, Nottinghamshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “This is another big step towards the completion of this latest and biggest partnership project to date between two key emergency services. It’s good news that a local company provided the best value for money in a very strict tender process as this means that local people will benefit. I’m also delighted that despite the challenges of the last few months, the work to date has been completed ahead of schedule and under budget. I am grateful to everyone who has worked hard to deliver this.
“The two organisations have been collaborating for some time to improve both financial and operational efficiency and experience has proved that they work well together. The new headquarters will bring numerous advantages, such as a better working environment for the workforce, eco-friendly elements and further development of the working relationship between the services. I’m looking forward to seeing the completed project.”
