Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey, Lisa Townsend, has approved an operational recommendation from Surrey Police to relocate the Eastern Divisional Headquarters to Cleeve Road, Leatherhead.
This move will provide a permanent new Eastern Headquarters for officers and staff temporarily located at Wray Park. The temporary move to Wray Park – based on a short term 2-year lease - happened in April this year and was necessitated by the discovery of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in the construction of Reigate Police Station in September 2023.
Having previously been on the market following the Commissioner’s decision to keep Surrey Police’s main Headquarters at Mount Browne in Guildford, the Cleeve Road site in Leatherhead was reassessed as a potential Divisional alternative. This showed the site best met the operational policing needs required of a Divisional Headquarters.
Strongly supporting Surrey Police’s commitment to retain a physical policing presence in every District and Borough across the county, the Commissioner has also requested and approved plans for new sites in Epsom & Ewell, Tandridge, and Reigate & Banstead to be identified. These sites will house Safer Neighbourhood Teams and help retain consistency of service and coverage across Surrey.
Speaking following the announcement, Lisa said “This is exciting news and if we get planning approval gives us a unique opportunity to build a bespoke divisional HQ that is fit for purpose for our hard-working police teams on the east of the county.
“The situation with RAAC at Reigate Police Station has presented us with some difficult and unexpected challenges and I would like to pay tribute to all those officers, staff and volunteers for their patience and understanding over the last year.
“I am well aware of the importance Surrey residents place on local policing, and I want to make absolutely clear and reassure people living in Reigate and Banstead that this will not impact on local policing presence in the Borough. The Divisional Headquarters differs from a police station and houses a much wider range of policing teams whose work covers the whole Eastern area.
"We are in the process of identifying a suitable new location for the Reigate & Banstead Safer Neighbourhood Team, which includes local police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs), who will continue to be based within the Borough.
“I know residents will welcome the Force’s commitment to no reduction in service or front counter numbers as we restructure our physical footprint to ensure Surrey Police is fit for the future and best placed to keep our county safe.
“There have been some tough choices to make but I believe that Leatherhead presents us with the best option in providing both value for money for Surrey residents and an Eastern HQ that is fit for a modern police force.”
Tim Hall, Conservative County Councillor for Leatherhead and Fetcham East said "It's tremendously good news that Surrey Police are proposing to move its Eastern Divisional Headquarters to the Cleeve Road site in our town.
"Leatherhead is very much at the heart of Surrey's transport network and it will allow easy access for divisional policing teams to all areas. It will also help progress the regeneration of Leatherhead and build on the community safety efforts of the police in Mole Valley and Eastern Surrey."
