Building work begins on Gwent Police's new £32m HQ in Llantarnam

Planning permission was granted for the new building in September last year, and now construction has commenced, with work expected to take two years, and be complete in autumn 2021.

The 5,178 sq m building will cover half the footprint of the force's existing base in Croesyceiliog, which is almost 50 years old and in dire need of modernisation. Gwent Police say, although the new site will cost around £32 million to build - paid for from a specific reserve fund - it will cost around £1.1 million a year less to run than the existing site.

An artist's impression of what Gwent Police's new HQ in Llantarnam will look

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It will contain a control room - the first point of contact for calls to the force - alongside major crime teams, training functions, support services and senior management.

Chief Constable Pam Kelly said: “Modern policing is changing, as the nature of the crime we deal with develops. We need to make sure that our facilities support our frontline teams in tackling these challenges.

“We want to provide the very best services to protect the people of Gwent and to do that we need to make the most of technology and cutting-edge approaches. Our new headquarters is another step on the way to delivering this.”

An artist's impression of what Gwent Police's new HQ in Llantarnam will look

Gwent Police has said all viable possibilities for staying at the current site, along with purchasing existing buildings, were assessed, but the decision was made to move into a new location.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent, Jeff Cuthbert, said: “The current police headquarters has served us well over the years, but the building is now at an age where it requires expensive maintenance work and its design does not support modern ways of working.

“It’s been a long time coming, but work can now start in earnest on the new headquarters. Once built, I have been reassured that this is the best option for Gwent Police in the future, delivering a fit-for-purpose hub for modern policing.

“The new headquarters is part of the first phase in our ambitious plans laid out in our estate strategy to improve police facilities in Gwent.”

An artist's impression of what Gwent Police's new HQ in Llantarnam will look

BAM Construction led the design stage of the project and is the main contractor for the new headquarters. There will be a phased move from the existing headquarters into the new one.