ESSEX Police and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex are making preparations to sell Brentwood police station.

To progress the sale of the site on London Road, Brentwood, Essex Police and the OPCC have had preliminary talks with planners at Brentwood Borough Council to seek outline planning permission for residential use of the one hectare site.

Gaining planning permission will allow the site to be sold for the best possible price and money generated by the sale can then be used to prevent and fight crime more effectively.

The front desk at the station on London Road, Brentwood has been closed since April this year though the station continues to provide an operational base for local officers.

Uniformed officers who are currently based at the station – including community and local policing teams - will continue to have a presence in the town and will in future work from a shared hub at the Town Hall in Ingrave Road. Work is already underway to get the new accommodation ready for officers.

Brentwood District Commander Chief Insp Denise Morrissey said: "There is no doubt that for many people the local police station is considered to be at the heart of the community, and for many the physical presence of a building provides reassurance.

"But it is the local officers who prevent, detect and investigate crime, not buildings.

"My officers will continue to be based in the town, working alongside partners to tackle crime and community issues.

"Many of Essex Police’s existing buildings are under-used, ageing, in a poor state of repair and requiring millions to bring them up to a standard fit for a modern police force – that is money we can ill-afford to spend.

"Equally where Essex Police is selling some of our buildings and police stations we have a duty to the county’s taxpayers to secure the best possible price which we will reinvest into policing.”

Roger Hirst, Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex, said: "I understand the attachment communities have to their local police stations but research carried out over two months showed only ten people visited Brentwood police station to report a crime. This is not the best use of police resources.

"As a Brentwood resident, I know that what matters is having a police presence in the town. But that means officers out and about on patrol, not inside buildings away from the community.

"I believe it is essential that we continue to modernise the police property estate across the county. I will ensure that the money raised through this process is used primarily to help deliver more local, accessible and visible policing, a priority in my new Police and Crime Plan.

"If you are the victim of, or witness, a crime in progress, you should always call 999. For non-emergency incidents, you should use the new Essex Police ‘Do It Online’ website, or you can call 101.”

Officers are expected to move into the shared premises at Brentwood Town Hall by Spring 2016.

Essex Police and the OPCC are continuing to modernise the estate after announcing last October that it would reduce from 80 to approximately 30 buildings.