RESIDENTS of Barnard Castle face a stark choice between cops and a copse, Durham’s chief constable has warned.
The force wants to sell the disused former police station in Bede Kirk, which would generate a six-figure sum to support frontline policing.
But police say the proposed sale is now under threat after campaigners lodged an application to have the 1.36-acre site declared a village green.
Protection orders have also been placed on several dozen mature trees bordering the site.
Chief constable Mike Barton admits he is “extremely frustrated” over the delay and said: “It boils down to a straightforward choice between cops and a copse.
“We can’t say exactly how much the site is worth due to commercial sensitivities, but it’s safe to say that if the sale doesn’t go ahead it would cost Durham Police a six-figure sum: money which would otherwise be available to support frontline policing” .
The former police station has been standing empty since last year when officers moved into a new £3.4million emergency hub in Wilson Street, shared with the fire, ambulance and mountain rescue services.
Durham’s Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner Ron Hogg hopes to sell the vacant site, roughly half of which is occupied by the empty police buildings and half by the station’s grounds, to a Darlington-based developer who wants to build bungalows for the elderly.
However, last summer opponents lodged an application with Durham County Council to designate the area as a protected village green.
A date has yet to be set for a decision on the application and, in the meantime, police are continuing to pay for the maintenance of the empty building, which has stood on the site since 1977.
Mr Barton added: “Police budgets have been squeezed and squeezed over the years, which means we’re constantly striving to do more with less.
“It just seems like common sense: the development would replace an ugly former police station, offer taxpayers good value for money and support officers on the frontline.
“Money doesn’t grow on trees and it is extremely frustrating that such an opportunity could potentially be wasted” .
Members of the town council have supported calls for the green to be protected, saying it is important environmentally and historically for the town.
