Police force to rent offices during refurbishment
A police force will rent office space while a £970,000 revamp of a police station is under way.
Chard police station's refurbishment was approved by Somerset Council in April.
While the work is being carried out, neighbourhood officers will remain based in the town, renting out offices from Numatic on the nearby Millfield Industrial Estate.
Under the approved proposals, the station will be fitted with solar panels and air source heat pumps to reduce its energy bills.
New windows will also be installed and repairs made to the roof to minimise heat loss.
The interior layout will be reconfigured to include a new locker room, accessible toilets, breastfeeding facilities, a multi-purpose meeting room and a faith room.
The refurbishment is set to begin at the end of May and be finished before Christmas.
A local response team will also be based out of Crewkerne for the duration of the work.
Ch Insp Andy Pritchard said: “We want to continue providing a police service in Chard and the surrounding area for many years to come, and this refurbishment will enable exactly that.
“During the refurbishment we will temporarily be closing the station, but this will cause no change to the number of officers or patrols that we have in Chard."
While Chard police station is closed, the closest alternative enquiry offices will be at Yeovil and Taunton.
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