Published: Friday 14 January 2022
Notting Hill Police Station could be saved from private housing developments by a bid from Kensington and Chelsea Council.
The building, owned by the Mayor’s Office of Policing and Crime, is due to go on sale this month (January).
The Council is making an offer to buy the building, so that it remains in the hands of the public sector, with facilities for the local community as the top priority.
Proposals include:
- a new GP surgery
- a space for local police
- specialist facilities for adults with learning disabilities
- community space to rent
- affordable housing for key workers.
Deputy Leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council Cllr Kim Taylor-Smith said:
“This building is a community asset – it should stay that way. The last thing I want is to see it sold to the highest bidder to develop expensive apartments that are snapped up by investors.
“Our plans include much-needed local services. We want to offer adults with learning disabilities residential and respite care here, near their families. That could be life-changing for people.
“The area needs more GP facilities – we have planned space for that too and we’re keen to offer the police the opportunity to keep a home in Notting Hill on the site.”
Due to demands on space, in London adults with learning disabilities requiring specialist residential care are often placed outside of the borough, or even outside of London. The proposals could see space for up to 20 people to be cared for locally, closer to their families. It could also offer local respite care for people who are cared for full-time by family carers at home. The Council has invested more than £25m in recent years on special educational needs facilities for children with a new special educational needs school, enhanced provision in mainstream schools and improved children’s centres. A new facility for adults would mean people’s transition from children’s to adult’s social care can happen near the homes, friends and families.
Sue Redmond is carer for her daughter Tess who has drug resistant epilepsy and severe learning disabilities. She is Joint Chair of Full of Life, a parent managed charity supporting families in Kensington and Chelsea. Sue said:
“This is such a fantastic opportunity for our families to know that their sons and daughters would be able to live in the borough that they were raised in rather than have to travel potentially hundreds of miles to see them for a short time.
"It would also maintain the friendships and community that they themselves have created over the years. At Full of Life some of the young people who attend our services have been together since they were five-years-old. Families would have peace of mind knowing their loved one is living locally and can access all local health and day opportunities. All parents want is to know that their son or daughter is nearby, happy, and healthy and in a community that cares for and about them. This is an amazing development by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.”
The Mayor’s Office of Policing and Crime notified the council of its intention to sell the building in July 2021. The site is an asset of community value, meaning that if any community organisation expresses an interest in the site a six-month moratorium delays the sale. The Kensington Society, Age UK and Kensington Temple Church all expressed an interest in August 2021.
Artist's impression provided by Philip Buckingham and HOK architects.