It looks like the police station on LCR will be closing, I if truth be told had hoped it would stay open markedly with the gang problems on the adjoining estates. Of course I’m not sure it makes a difference.

http://hackneycitizen.co.uk/2013/03/26/mayor-london-boris-johnson-launches-police-plan-hackney/

I haven’t really used it, I tried just the once on a Bank Holiday Monday to report a flasher, but they were closed for the holidays.

In terms of policing, I have misgivings it matters much. As Dave Hill pointed out a couple of months ago, a large amount crime is reported by phone these days; [url] http://davehill.typepad.com/claptonian/2013/01/should-we-care-that-our-fire-and-police-stations-are-going-.html[/url]

Being turned into flats, apparently.

The station is now up for sale. Unfortunately, this striking building will most likely be developed in to flats – still fingers crossed for a more imaginative alternative. [url] http://search.knightfrank.co.uk/rss130027/[/url]

They are looking for about £3million for it. Which means they’d almost certainly need to retail about £5.5 to £6 million worth of flats for it to be “viable” for redevelopment.

I think certainly viable – there’s the potential for at slightest 8 flats in the station building itself at perhaps £500K each and then of course there’s the large car park which should achieve planning go-ahead to build a development of at least 8 more flats – overlooking church park – at maybe £750K each. So that’s £10 million. doubtless take at least £3 million to build, so left with a small profit of £3 million. Of course all well in conjecture and a lot of effort to achieve a double return on your initial investment.

I can’t see very few commercial developments that could outstrip this type of return – so sadly we are most likely only looking at flats. I think it would make a great arts & design centre or museum – very imposing presence on the street

£3 million for this site seems incredibly inexpensive to me. I do hope they get more for it. The photo shows that the site includes the end 3-storey house on St John’s Church Rd. This unaccompanied could be converted into 3 flats perhaps fetching over a million – never mind the existing structure and car park.

Conservatively, you’d be looking for £5000 per square metre in the area (now, frankly, you’d be expecting £6000psm), so just the station should have a final sale value of approximately £10 million. Any developer worth their salt must be pulling the Police’s arm off for that property at £3 million.

As a neighbour (who gave up their car some years ago) I do wonder about parking (I know, the recurrent planners worry) if flats is the option. roughly a year ago I attended a consultation day concerning a housing development in the Churchyard (near Mortuary building), but have heard nil about this for a while. Meanwhile Pembury Circus is a go. Again this was flats, but even mention of a Pub! It will be slightly quieter for us locals as the Police Sirens did not always adher to the agreed protocol. Also I will not miss the occasional rude officer going to work, looking impatient as the public/pedestrian/local motorist held them up for a few seconds before they entered their enclosed compound.