Selling Scotland Yard - part of London's history

[MalteseFalcon]

I agree with everything Rob has said. It would be more practical to sell NSY, use the cash raised from that to build a new state of the art Police HQ, and bring it right into the 21st Century.

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

www.skynews.co.uk - cuts to Police

With all the cutbacks being made, the Met Police have been forced to save money by selling the iconic building -New Scotland Yard.

This building plus Old Scotland Yard, just up the road is like a part of London's history that cannot be replaced. Has it come to the point that due to cutbacks - due to government enforcements - we are getting rid of history. History that cannot be replaced, the occupants will be moving to smaller offices.

May l suggest if the police are doing this, then maybe the government can get rid of House of Commons, The Treasury buildings and most of the buildings on Parliament Square - plus some offices in Whitehall. If the police are to operate in smaller offices, then l am sure that the PM can play his cut throat games in City Hall, most of it is glass- so we can see what they are planning.

I have been inside Parliament, and the only room that is used is The House of Lords and the room directly opposite, which you see ministers fighting each other.

It was built in the 60s..it's not a listed building and it's nothing as iconic as the BBC Television centre which has also been sold.

You are truly being ridiculous to suggest we should sell off some of our most historic buildings that underline the road to democracy and keep a rubbishy high rise set of sixties offices.

Oh yet again here is the link..you forgot to actually cut and paste the correct one again.

http://news.sky.com/story/1004656/sc...met-makes-cuts

[MalteseFalcon]

So Arthur, if you were running the country, where would you have Parliament sit if you sold the House of Commons? And incidentally, I did read somewhere http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...iament-repairs that the Palace of Westminster would be shut for 5 years for a £3bn repair program. What would you say about that?

[Arthurgray50@blu]

There must be loads of government offices in London that could be sold. The Offices of New Scotland Yard will probably sold off for more offices to take over.

What l am saying is that government buildings spend an absolutely fortune in renovation, such as MPs that want to spend hundreds of pounds on wallpaper.

Good question to those people who agree to the building being sold, where are all the staff going to go - in a tent on Paliament Square.

[MovedGoalPosts]

They won't be in a tent. Don't be ridiculous. As they have said they will be in a more streamlined HQ building i.e. something that meets today's rather than yesterday's needs. That also implies the current building is somewhat larger than is needed for modern policing, presumably because finally backroom staffing levels are reducing in favour of front line officers.

And yes the current site will probably be redeveloped, and will probably be offices. But forgive me, surely that is what the current building largely is? Rather like many regional police headquarters, it isn't a police station.

True there are many government buildings that have been under used. Many of those have also been sold off, or will be sold off.

If a building is truly historic, such as the parliament building, then yes it is right that funds are spent to renovate and maintain. We know there have been excesses with wallpaper, and the media have highlighted that and hopefully our elected MPs are aware that isn't acceptable (but continued references to expenses suggests they may not have fully learned that yet). But one should not confuse icons such as Parliament, with a very ordinary office building that just has a very public address.

[Zee]

i don't see this building as historic, its "modern" and ugly, i see this closed down pub in my local area more historic.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

Good question to those people who agree to the building being sold, where are all the staff going to go - in a tent on Paliament Square.

Another office building? It's not as if they are rare in London.

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

Good question to those people who agree to the building being sold, where are all the staff going to go - in a tent on Paliament Square.

Probably they will be spread out over several sites rather than just one huge building. NSY is really just a big admin hub and could easily be relocated into a more modern and efficient building elsewhere.

I'd like to think they could scale back the amount of admin staff but the insatiable appetite of senior staff and other agencies will ensure that doesn't happen for a while yet.

Originally Posted by Zee

i don't see this building as historic, its "modern" and ugly, i see this closed down pub in my local area more historic.

There's nothing much historic about a mock Tudor pub that was in all likelihood built in the early 1930s.

[Arthurgray50@blu]

My son works in a police office and it is shared by THREE teams, luckily there hours are different, you tell me how police officers can work in an enviroment where there is only six computers to work on, and how the hell can police do there jobs properly in cramped conditions.

I have been in loads of offices through my working career and they have all been spacious.

But if you work in a police environment where you need room to move, when the police service announce there strategy for the years up to 2015. You will have LESS police officers on the streets, less police stations open - most of station officers will be moved to supermarkets, which are not open 24hrs per day, post offices the same.

You cannot run the police service like that, you have vulnerable people out there that need contact - yes there is 101 or the 999 service.

To me this is sheer vengeance by the government to cut to the bone a police service - that years ago you could tell the time by on your local beat copper, and now you won't be able to rely on any police officer being there when there needed.

I spoke to a police officer quite recently and he told me that this is the government getting back at them for what happened a few years ago when the police federation had fierce words over certain procedures and objected to government intervention.

And this is the way the government are getting back at them.

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

My son works in a police office and it is shared by THREE teams, luckily there hours are different, you tell me how police officers can work in an enviroment where there is only six computers to work on, and how the hell can police do there jobs properly in cramped conditions.

I have been in loads of offices through my working career and they have all been spacious.

But if you work in a police environment where you need room to move, when the police service announce there strategy for the years up to 2015. You will have LESS police officers on the streets, less police stations open - most of station officers will be moved to supermarkets, which are not open 24hrs per day, post offices the same.

years ago you could tell the time by on your local beat copper, and now you won't be able to rely on any police officer being there when there needed.

You want the police to have spacious offices and you want them on the streets where they can tell you the time.

Cognitive dissonance, much?

It's not lucky that the small office you refer to is used by officers on three different shifts. It's planned that way as an efficient use of resources. It's called hot-desking and it means more money is being spent on best coppers and less on maintaining buildings.

Mod Edit: Please do not try and twist the words of other posters by quoting and not making it apparent the extensive words you have changed that completely alters the meaning of the original post. Poorly atributed quote has been removed.

[Zee]

Originally Posted by Chris

There's nothing much historic about a mock Tudor pub that was in all likelihood built in the early 1930s.

I never said it was. I said i see it as more historic then scotland yard building.

[Osem]

That's because your interpretation of 'historic' is simply related to age rather than importance in history.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/historic

Unless of course that closed down pub has a very interesting past.

[Taf]

I'm surprised no dork has slapped a Preservation Order on the building and made it a Listed Building with all the costs that would entail afterwards.

If the building is too old, too big, and costs too much to run... move out and find somewhere more ideal.