Published: Tuesday 8 February 2022
Notting Hill Police Station has been put up for sale by the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). 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.
The proposal includes specialist facilities to offer residential and respite care for people with learning disabilities.
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 told us that if the Council won the bid, it would be "life transforming" for the people she works with at Full of Life.
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’s bid to buy the police station also includes:
- a new GP surgery
- a space for local police
- community space to rent
- affordable housing for key workers.
The Kensington Society has started a petition to support community uses at the site of the police station which has gathered more than 1,600 signatures so far. A community meeting on 2 February attracted more than 100 people.
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. This means the advertising the building for sale was delayed until January 2022.