A potential change of use for the former Teddington Police Station is being considered as local health leaders outline how the building could support a Teddington health hub proposal. The station has been closed for four years as part of wider reductions in police counters across London, introduced as the Met Police aims to save £7m.
Park Road GP surgery, located directly opposite the building, reports significant space shortages. Dr Nick Grundy states that the practice has about 25 percent of the national recommended space and says the former police station is “about the size we need”. He adds that relocating into the building “would solve our problems at a stroke”. According to Dr Grundy, the current facilities are too cramped to accommodate medical student training and the existing entrance steps create accessibility issues. The Teddington health hub proposal outlines that a move would provide sufficient room for consulting spaces and improved access.
Dr Grundy notes that the site could allow for more joined up health outcomes by enabling closer work with community partners and local charities. He says that shared use of a larger building would support expansion of existing services. The proposal also includes the possibility of providing some affordable housing on the site. Dr Grundy states that the option of a police front counter could be included if the Met required it.
Twickenham MP Munira Wilson has urged the Met and the mayor to accept a bid for the building that is lower than what a private developer might offer. She says the station has been “lying derelict for about four years now” and that the community wants it turned into a GP surgery with socially rented homes. She adds that the Met Police are not planning to reopen the station and that both the GP surgery and housing associations are prepared to convert the site into a health facility and housing. She is calling on the Met Police to release the building for this purpose.
The future of the former police station is dependent on the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime Estates Strategy, which is expected before the end of the year. Supporters of the Teddington health hub proposal state that it would offer a practical use for a currently unused site while addressing long standing space issues at Park Road Surgery.
