IS the Lord Street police station another government white elephant?
That was the suggestion in Tynwald after it emerged that the value of the property was significantly lower than the sum invested in the building.
Castletown MHK Richard Ronan had asked Home Affairs Minister Juan Watterson MHK what the Constabulary’s long-term plans were for the police station and whether the development had offered value for money.
Mr Watterson replied that 69 people, police officers, civil servants, and members of the Special Constabulary, work out of Lord Street police station.
He said the future plans for the existing Lower Douglas station are closely linked with the redevelopment of Lower Douglas.
Mr Watterson said the Constabulary wanted to maintain an appropriate and accessible police station in the centre of Douglas but the desire to maintain local police stations had to be constantly reviewed in the light of the available budget.
‘The existing situation in terms of the deployment of officers and the location of the station cannot necessarily be guaranteed,’ he said, adding that the template for future development may well be similar to the situation in Ramsey, where the police shares facilities with the Town Commissioners.
He said the development of the Lord Street base had been considered essential to make the building already there into a viable and operational police station.
However, he said the department’s assets were valued at £2.6 million in March this year which was lower than the original purchase price and cost of conversion, which totalled £3.7 million.
He said the cost of conversion was just under £1 million, and £2.6 million was paid for the site.
Mr Ronan asked the minister: ‘Does he in hindsight believe that the police station should have been built and does he believe it is now a white elephant?’
Mr Watterson replied: ‘I think what I would say is that, perhaps in this day and age, we would not have started from here.’
Meanwhile, Onchan Commissioners are looking at the village’s now closed police station in Onchan with a view to converting it in housing units.
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