The main Fulham Police Station building has closed as part of contentious plans that will see the building become the new home of Fulham Boys School (FBS) .
The station shut on Monday (June 6), ahead of a public exhibition of plans for the site in Heckfield Place, at the junction with Fulham Road, being held on June 8 and 9.
In its place is now a front counter service which will operate alongside the school.
The site was secured for the new school, which opened in September 2014 and has been based temporarily in Gibbs Green , by Boris Johnson last year when he was London Mayor.
His office said in October that only 35% of the police station building was in use, making it an ideal site for the 800-pupil capacity school.
However, the new site will continue to provide a front desk policing service, operating the same hours as the police station and allowing the community public access to the thin blue line.
The land has been purchased by the Education Funding Agency (EFA) from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC).
FBS had been earmarked by the previous Conservative administration to open on the site of Sulivan Primary School in Parsons Green, with Sulivan moving up the road to merge with New King’s School.
But the new Labour administration saved Sulivan from closure casting grave doubt on the future of FBS .
'Fulham needs a fully functional police station'
News that the police station would be closed met a mixed reaction.
Hammersmith and Fulham Council welcomed the finding of a new permanent homer for FBS, but was angered at the fate of the police station.
Deputy leader Cllr Michael Cartright said at the time: “This is yet another example of police services in the borough being attacked by the government and the mayor of London.
"We’re very concerned about what these plans to close most of Fulham police station will mean for residents. Fulham residents need a fully functional police station.”
But, H&F Neighbourhood Watch chairman David Millar was less concerned. Speaking to getwestlondon he said: “The key thing form a Hammersmith & Fulham perspective is that they are going to up grade Hammersmith police station which in my view is not fit for purpose.
“At Fulham the police station is already subject to reduction in opening hours, and they’re planning to keep the front desk open so there will be public access which is a good thing.
“But beyond that, the way they operate, they don’t need to be based in a police station per se. There’s no reason why they can’t sell one property and reinvest making another fit for purpose.”
FBS consulted on preliminary plans in January, with feedback being passed on to the EFA before it submits formal planning sometime in June.
Meanwhile, the EFA is hosting a public exhibition of the final proposals at St John’s Church, North End Road, SW6 1PB this week, from 2pm to 7pm on both days.
The redevelopment of the police station site will also include nine new homes and facilities available for possible community use.
