Plans for a major police building facility at Wykeland Group's flagship Melton West business park have been put forward.

Willmott Dixon is working to develop a £20 million three-storey operational support building with Humberside Police Force that will house over 500 people.

If approved by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, construction will begin on the development in the third quarter of 2020.

The Humberside Police Force development, called Melton 2, will provide 107,000 square foot of accommodation for around 535 staff from the force's Operational Support Services and is sited next to an existing facility built in 2014, Melton 1, which is home to specialist teams and support staff.

Procured via Major Works England and Northern Ireland, a part of the Scape National Construction framework, Willmott Dixon is working with Bond Bryan architects to take the plans through planning and into construction.

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In conjunction with the existing centre, Melton 2 will provide tailored facilities for operations and support staff, supporting greater functional efficiency. The proposed scheme also aims to improve the quality of work and training environments for Humberside Police personnel. It will be a significant new addition to Melton West, which is one of the Yorkshire's leading business parks and already has more than 800,000 square foot of manufacturing, warehouse and office space.

The design includes key sustainable features such as energy efficient heating and lighting systems, the use of environmentally-friendly materials and facilities to encourage staff to cycle to and from work.

Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner Keith Hunter said: "The new development at Melton will, if approved, allow Humberside Police to bring together a number of specialist crime investigation functions, some of which deal with the most serious crimes and vulnerable victims, and provide a new, state of the art force control room which will continue the great progress made in public contact over the last few years."

For Willmott Dixon, this latest project follows appointments in September last year by Merseyside Police Force to create four storeys of modern office space for up to 1,175 people and West Midlands Police, where Willmott Dixon will deliver a new Control Suite that includes a command and control unit.

It adds to Willmott Dixon's presence as a major constructor of blue light and custodial facilities, with the company responsible for schemes worth nearly £200m in the last three years as emergency forces make better use of their property to become more efficient, save on running costs and create a better environment for staff and detainees.

(CM/MH)