1,000 signatures reached
To: the Mayor of London
Save Notting Hill police station
This petition is to oppose the closure of Notting Hill police station. We want an assurance from the Mayor of London that the police station at 99 - 101 Ladbroke Road in Notting Hill will remain a fully functioning police station, open to the public 24 hours per day.
Why is this important?
Notting Hill police station serves all of North Kensington and is situated less than a mile from the Grenfell Tower area. It has been, and still is, an important support centre for the residents and communities affected by the most devastating disaster this nation has experienced in decades. By closing the police station and relocating its staff 1.3 miles further south, people in the north of the borough will feel even more alienated. In addition, Portobello Road, the home of the world’s largest antiques market, is a few blocks from the station. It is visited by millions of Londoners and tourists each year.
Also, Kensington and Chelsea has the second highest crime rate of all London boroughs. and of the current 73 police stations in London, Notting Hill is the 16th most visited by the public for reporting a crime.
As the borough commander, Chief Superintendent Ellie O’Connor, said at a hastily organised public consultation meeting on 15 August: “If ever there is a time when we should be supporting this borough, it is now” – and keeping the only remaining policing station in the north of the borough is critical in achieving this.
And what will happen to the old Victorian police station building if it is closed? The Chelsea police station was sold in December 2015 to a tax haven company for £40 million, which within just a few months sold it on to an investment company in the UAE for at least £50 million (the exact sales figure is a secret). That company plans to turn the site into yet another luxury flat development. We foresee a similar destiny for Notting Hill police station if it is sold as planned.
Please sign this petition to save Notting Hill police station!
In response to government cuts to the Metropolitan Police budget of £600 million since 2010, the number of police stations open to the public in London have already been reduced from 149 to 73. To resolve a further government budget reduction of £400 million during the next four years, it is now proposed to reduce those 73 to 32 – and Notting Hill police station is one of those proposed to be closed down and sold off. The Kensington police station would then be the only remaining police station in the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
According to the budget cut proposal, all boroughs except Westminster will only retain one police station each. The loss of police stations is to be compensated by the creation of a better police website and by providing each ward with two patrolling ward officers instead of one. However, these will only patrol their wards during office hours.
We therefore demand that the RBKC Council lobbies central government for funds to keep Notting Hill police station open.
Also, Kensington and Chelsea has the second highest crime rate of all London boroughs. and of the current 73 police stations in London, Notting Hill is the 16th most visited by the public for reporting a crime.
As the borough commander, Chief Superintendent Ellie O’Connor, said at a hastily organised public consultation meeting on 15 August: “If ever there is a time when we should be supporting this borough, it is now” – and keeping the only remaining policing station in the north of the borough is critical in achieving this.
And what will happen to the old Victorian police station building if it is closed? The Chelsea police station was sold in December 2015 to a tax haven company for £40 million, which within just a few months sold it on to an investment company in the UAE for at least £50 million (the exact sales figure is a secret). That company plans to turn the site into yet another luxury flat development. We foresee a similar destiny for Notting Hill police station if it is sold as planned.
Please sign this petition to save Notting Hill police station!
In response to government cuts to the Metropolitan Police budget of £600 million since 2010, the number of police stations open to the public in London have already been reduced from 149 to 73. To resolve a further government budget reduction of £400 million during the next four years, it is now proposed to reduce those 73 to 32 – and Notting Hill police station is one of those proposed to be closed down and sold off. The Kensington police station would then be the only remaining police station in the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
According to the budget cut proposal, all boroughs except Westminster will only retain one police station each. The loss of police stations is to be compensated by the creation of a better police website and by providing each ward with two patrolling ward officers instead of one. However, these will only patrol their wards during office hours.
We therefore demand that the RBKC Council lobbies central government for funds to keep Notting Hill police station open.
