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30
Sept
The long-awaited £1.2 million refurbishment of Ripon’s joint police and fire station on Stonebridgegate is underway.
The project has been in the pipeline for several years after the force sold Ripon’s police station in 2014, but today a spokesman for the York and North Yorkshire Office for Policing, Fire, Crime and Commissioning told the Stray Ferret:
Work has started on the refurbishment of the joint police and fire station in Ripon.
The keys were handed to the contractor on Monday September 9 to start the refurbishment.
Officers have used facilities at the fire station since 2018, but the site was deemed 'not fit-for-purpose' by North Yorkshire Police.
In summer 2021, former Conservative Police, Crime and Fire Commissioner Philip Allott unveiled plans for a major refurbishment of the building.
In February 2023, a report prepared for councillors attending the Harrogate District Oversite and Scrutiny Committee of North Yorkshire County Council, approved the budget and plans and said it believed that they represent the 'best value for money and local needs' for Ripon residents.
The works will include repurposing the ground floor of the building for the police to interact with the public, changing the first floor to create better meeting spaces for the fire service and improving the windows and lighting of the building.
North Yorkshire Police is set to have a presence in Ripon Town Hall before the end of the year.
In addition to the refurbishment, the Stray Ferret reoorted earlier this month that North Yorkshire Police will be setting up an office in Ripon Town Hall.
Police look set to move into a vacant space in the North Yorkshire-owned building before the end of the year.
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