CHELMSFORD residents are invited to a meeting next week detailing plans for the £5.7million refurbishment of the city’s police station.

The station is one of Essex Police's key buildings to benefit from investment and extensive refurbishment as part of the continued ambitious programme to rationalise and modernise our estate.

Under the project Chelmsford Police Station will be modernised with open plan offices to encourage closer working between the different police teams based there.

The project will mean the station will close this summer, while the work is carried out, with the building reopening during the winter of 2020/21.

The meeting will be held on March 27 from 6pm until 8pm in the Upper Hall at the Central Baptist Church on Victoria Road South, Chelmsford, CM1 1LN.

Chelmsford and Maldon District Commander Chief Inspector Gerry Parker said: “If you live, work or socialise in Chelmsford and care about policing in your community please come and join us at the meeting.

“We will be sharing our plans of how we are carrying out a major renovation of the interior of the police station which will enable closer and better working between our teams and create a working environment that is fit for the needs and challenges of 21st century policing.

“To enable the project to happen our staff and officers are moving out of the station and we want people to come and find out where and how they can find us as we are committed to remaining central, visible and accessible to the community of Chelmsford.”

Chelmsford's Community Policing Team will be moving to a shared hub with Chelmsford City Council in the coming weeks.