Page 8 - Top Cover Issue 8

8 TOP COVER ISSUE 8

PFOA NEWS

theBIGbuild

ince we started the PFOA immediately after viewing it for the first police station from December 2014. This
it has operated from my time. I like to think I have a bit of vision, would be a 15 year lease with the option
garage at home! As the and could see the large garaging area at to terminate after five years. It also
years have passed the the rear becoming a space we could allowed us to make alterations, within
SAssociation has grown in really utilise. reason, to the building. During the
numbers and has therefore created more After making contact with Cambs time of the negotiations, Tesco decided
administration demands. During the Police, I met up with Elly Mckee who they were not going to open the brand
early part of last year, whilst filming the is the estates management surveyor. new store they had built (no comment
PFOA promotional DVD, I bumped Elly confirmed that they were looking on this!) which therefore left Cambs
into a local sergeant I know from at closing the station and moving the without a local contact point for the
Cambridgeshire Police. He mentioned reception officer into a nearby Tesco store Chatteris community. Having discussed
that Cambs Police were looking to close that was due to be open in the summer. this with the PFOA trustees, we felt it
one of their rural stations, Chatteris, We had a look around and discussed the was the right thing to offer to keep the
as part of their budgeting due to cut various options, and how it would all reception office of the police station open
backs. The same afternoon myself and work with regards to the lease etc. The and review the situation in May 2015. I
Stu Brown, Lincs, who happened to be reception officer was an ex Cambs police live locally and, after speaking to many
with me that day, went to Chatteris and officer, Ralph, who I soon got to know people in the area, no one was in favour
had a quick look around the station. I very well due to my frequent visits. of the police station closing and having
must confess I was pretty much sold on After much negotiation, it was a facility in a busy supermarket a couple
the idea of moving into a police station decided that the PFOA could occupy the of days a week (not sure I would want to

New PFOA Head Quarters The ‘before’ New high level windows allow maximum wall space

From the crane New entrance goes in Plasterer finishing off internal walls