Southwark Council is to spend £250,000 on works at Seven Islands Leisure Centre to create a new base for police officers formerly based at Rotherhithe Police Station.
The cash comes from saving the council has made on its rent bill by buying the freehold of its Tooley Street headquarters.
From a newly published council report:
Rotherhithe Police Station is scheduled for closure and disposal. The council has offered part of Seven Islands Leisure Centre as a neighbourhood policing team base for the North East cluster. The MPS have confirmed that this is operationally useful and their property team have carried out a site visit and are working with officers to the most feasible use of the site. Whilst this is still in the early stage, the estimated cost to the council of the work needed to bring this into use as a police base is in the region of £250,000.Architects have been commissioned to undertake a feasibility survey at the leisure centre site that considers the MPS operational requirements. This will be completed by early October 2013 and will establish estimated costs and options for the site. The cost of the feasibility survey is £8,000 and is included in the £250,000 estimated project costs for the police station.
The same report reveals that the council plans to spend £40,000 on closed circuit television at Greenland Quay:
Close [sic] Circuit Television (CCTV) at Greenland Quay – As part of the CCTV refresh programme two redeployable cameras were due to be sited at this location. This area has experienced high volumes of robbery and snatch incidents over the last 12 months. The funding will enable us to provide three fixed zoom public space surveillance cameras and operational connection to the councils CCTV operational control room. Re-deployable cameras are not a suitable option here due to the lighting columns. A design specification will be