Salisbury City Council discuss High Post police station plans

A revised application for land adjacent to High Post Business Park was scrutinised at Salisbury City Council's Planning and Development Committee on Monday, April 24.

Hibberd Development applied for full planning permission to build four mixed-use buildings on the 13.4-acre land with a police station outline application on March 24.

This came after initial plans, which didn't include the police station, were withdrawn following more than 300 objections.

At the meeting, councillors were told that the police station would be staffed 24/7.

High Post masterplan, including Wiltshire Police. (Image: CSA Architects)

While the site falls outside of the city council's parish boundary, concerns were raised by members of the public about public safety, traffic, and accessibility.

Durnford Parish Councillor Peter Curtis presented his argument against the proposals for a south Wiltshire police station and said he has "enough information to defeat it on planning terms alone".

Cllr Curtis said he doesn't think it's the right site for a police station, adding: "We look upon this application as very much unwanted.

"Everything about it we find to be unacceptable in pure planning terms. The official impact is the loss of open farmland, tree preservation area, and species of endangered bats.

"To the previous application last year, Wiltshire Highways said it is categorically dangerous to be crossing the A345."

In March, Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson confirmed that he was considering four locations to build a new police station.

Wiltshire PCC Philip Wilkinson. (Image: Wiltshire PCC)

These included land at High Post, Persimmon-owned land at Fugglestone Red and Old Sarum, and land joined with Salisbury District Hospital.

Despite this, the consultation deadline for a decision on the High Post industrial estate planning application with a possible police station is May 10 and councillors were feeling rushed.

Cllr Lynne Blackwood said: "I'm quite astounded we have so little time."

The possibility of having a shopfront or mobile police station in the city centre to make up for the distance was discussed in July 2022.

Ex-police officer Darren Jennings said councillors should consider an objection based on public safety, he added: "Even if the application has a shopfront in the city the primary response will be from High Post.

"It’s an unnecessary risk to Woodford Valley. There are various walkers, cyclists and pedestrians and I don’t think that’s an acceptable risk to be having emergency response vehicles going up and down.

"The risk to public safety is unnecessary and it cannot be justified on that level alone."

Chairman Cllr Annie Riddle decided to ask committee members to make individual responses and invite the PCC for a public discussion.

Stating she had personal reservations about the plans, Cllr Riddle said: "I think one has to consider why this application, which is tacked onto an industrial estate, is charging through when the police station element of it is outline and the rest of the industrial estate is full permission.

"Given that a previous industrial application on that site was withdrawn you do wonder whether an industrial development on that site would be acceptable if it didn’t include something we need, which is a police station."

Wiltshire PCC Philip Wilkinson said: “Because the planning process is as such, we have agreed to carry on the process with developers of land at High Post, at no extra cost to the taxpayer, to ensure all negotiations happen in parallel and we are not, effectively, standing still.

“All four sites remain options at this stage. We are fortunate to be in a position where there are several possibilities as that was looking like it was not the case late last year.

“Continued conversation with residents directly affected by decisions made by myself and the Chief Constable is vital – we both acknowledge the public’s views on the police service they receive is important. Once we are in a further position to update residents, I will do so.”

The planning application (reference PL/2022/09262) can be viewed here.