McBains Cooper reviews Big Society building design

Mark Leeson, director of property and construction consultancy McBains Cooper, dicusses the government's Big Society initiative which is coming to the Police.

Mark has said that the plan is likely to bring demand for law enforcement agency building design in order to demonstrate how it can help police officers work more efficiently and engage more with local communities.

Big Society could mean significant changes to the way police stations, buildings and offices are designed and constructed.

They will need to be more transparent with more space for public meetings and interaction, and easier to get around without compromising security and safety for officers and support staff.

All new and refurbished buildings are going to have to demonstrate how they help the police work more efficiently.

One example is a project on which McBains Cooper worked in the east of England - the building design has contributed to less time involved in administration in the station, more time out on the street.

The setting of local budgets by commissioners looks likely to be set against a policy of national buying - this could mean buying solutions, PFI, or new national frameworks.

The re-commencement of the PFI bids for a number of custody and operational accommodation projects for police forces seems to indicate that PFI will remain on the agenda for the short to medium term.

The drive to create a more locally-focussed force may actually have the opposite effect with smaller police forces sharing larger strategic facilities.

The central buying of IT and other infrastructure items may make procurement easier for those delivering buildings at a local level, but, for example, central government attempts to buy IT nationally has not been good.

The white paper changes the emphasis towards more local facilities, local communities and a tailored approach to policing rather than national standards and targets.

It remains to be seen, following the October spending review, how the reductions in the policing budget will filter through, but it seems that front line policing will be immune from cuts, and may actually benefit in real terms by re-focusing spending.

Value for money is going to be more important than ever before, judged at a local, not national level.

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