The Brief and history

Following shortcomings identified by Derbyshire Constabulary highlighting their deteriorating station located on Cotton Lane in Derby, a review was initiated to modernise the facilities for future use by the force. The study concluded that building a brand new police station would be much more cost-effective and less intrusive than refurbishing their current headquarters.

Subsequently, a £9.5m plan was drawn up to build the new police station at Ascot Drive, located towards the city’s south. This would become the central police hub for the area, providing greater access to Derby County’s Pride Park stadium, making match day policing far more efficient.

Again, thanks to our previous work with Bowmer & Kirkland, Westville was appointed to install a robust steel frame system (SFS) as part of the construction project, together with the application of cement particle boards and a Stolit render finish.

The work and the challenges

Work commenced in September 2020, with instructions that the new police station was to be linked to the existing Fire and Rescue station. The brief required both stations to be tied together to reduce operational costs by sharing facilities between the two services. This, however, meant that careful planning was needed to ensure absolutely no disruption was caused to the ongoing vital emergency fire services, where a delay in minutes can mean the difference between life and death.

Westville’s priority was to install the SFS and cement particle boards. The erection of this ‘skeleton’ was crucial to the whole operation to ensure all further work would be completed on time. Great care was taken to ensure that the new building wouldn’t place undue stress on the foundations of the original fire station and that the SFS would blend seamlessly into the existing facilities.