'Run down' Surrey Police HQ to be redeveloped including new road to improve response times

Plans to redevelop Surrey Police's 'run down and expensive to maintain' headquarters have been given the green light. The changes include a new road which the Force say will speed up response times from Mount Browne by two minutes.

The major revamp to the police’s home in Guildford includes demolishing and rebuilding the dog school, new accommodation for police students, a new contact and deployment centre and a multi-storey car park with electric charging points.

Members of Guildford Borough Council's planning committee unanimously approved two applications on Wednesday, November 6. Councillors praised the application for the compactness of the development, with no overall height increase and limited harm to the Green Belt.

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One of the applications included a new road to Artington Roundabout, which the Force says will reduce traffic on neighbouring roads like Sandy Lane and The Ridges. Straight through the middle of an open field, officers highlighted the road would be visible and harm the Green Belt as well as agricultural land. However, they also noted even small improvements in police response times can have a large positive impact on how emergencies can be handled.

The second application related to the long-awaited redevelopment and modernisation of the site, including demolition and construction of operational buildings, as well as internal refurbishment of the old building, corridor wing and sports building.

Mount Browne has been the headquarters of Surrey Police for more than 70 years. The current campus contains a large number of buildings which have been constructed mainly on a piecemeal basis and are judged no longer fit for purpose.

The benefits of the scheme include high quality facilities to meet the ongoing operational needs of the police, as well as staff retention and well-being, according to the report. Replacing the dog kennels was also said to provide significant improvements to operations. Officers told the committee that currently all the training dogs can see each other in the kennels, so if one dog barks “they all go off”.

"A significant milestone"

Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Lisa Townsend has welcomed the decision, calling it a “significant milestone for the Force”. A six-week judicial review period now awaits before Surrey Police can take decisions on the next steps.

Mrs Townsend added: “Mount Browne has been Surrey Police’s home for over 70 years, but the buildings here are run down, expensive to maintain and simply no longer meet the requirements of a modern police force.”

The future of Mount Browne has been a hot topic over a number of years. In 2018 the police bought land in Leatherhead to build a new headquarters but following an independent review in 2021, the PCC and Surrey Police Chief Officer decided that the Force should remain at Mount Browne rather than seek a new location.