The Metropolitan police have sold off £1 billion worth of property in the past five years including in Hampstead, Highgate, St John’s Wood, Marylebone and Golders Green
Four of the top ten most expensive police asset sales in the past five years are in north London.
The Hampstead police station was sold for £14.1 million in 2014, whilst 2-5 Nightingale Lane in Hornsey was sold for £30.1 million in the same year.
In 2015, 58 Buckingham Gate in Westminster was sold for £31.5 million whilst land at the Hendon police training centre in Brent went for £120 million.
Figures released to the Press Association have also shown that St John’s Wood police station, which had been owned since 1843, was sold for nearly £9 million in 2013, whilst Golders Green, Highgate and Marylebone stations were sold in 2014 for £5.3, £3.6 and £3 million respectively.
Assets have been sold as a result of instructions to the Met to cut spending in the wake of more frequent terror attacks and violent crime. According to the figures, the most expensive sale was that of New Scotland Yard last year for £370 million to make way for luxury flats.
A running theme, a former police station in Maida Vale has been redeveloped by Redrow. Properties in the former clink at Grade II listed Westbourne Place are on the market starting at £695,000 with only a few remaining.
Plans to turn the former Hampstead police station on Rosslyn Hill into a free school were given the go ahead in April after previously being rejected by Camden Council.
67 operational units have been sold by the Metropolitan police in total in the wake of instructions to Scotland Yard in 2010 to make £600 million savings, whilst maintaining officer levels at 31,000. 20 residential blocks and 84 residential units have also been offloaded.
Money from the sales will be directed towards creating more “effective and accessible policing”, the Met said, adding that improvements to IT services would also be made as a result. “The Metropolitan Police Service has a duty to provide the best value for Londoners and make sure all its resources are delivering the best possible policing services,” the spokesman added.
Scotland Yard still has £400 million savings to make by 2021.
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