Met confirms location for new HQ

Scotland Yard has confirmed the location for its new headquarters as the force prepares to sell off its current landmark site amid budget cuts.

The Metropolitan Police has to save more than £500 million and cost-saving measures include moving out of New Scotland Yard on Victoria Street in Westminster, central London.

Its new headquarters as of 2015 will be the Curtis Green Building on the banks of the Thames, the former Whitehall police station.

A competition is being held to find an architect to oversee changes to the building, which has been empty for two years.

New Scotland Yard has been in its current location in Victoria Street since 1967 but it was claimed that it would take an investment of about £50 million to bring the building up to scratch.The force paid £124.5 million for the building in 2008 and it costs £11 million per year to run.

Plans to get rid of around a third of Metropolitan police buildings over the next three years could save tens of millions of pounds in running costs, but concerns have been raised about the number of front desks that will be closed as a result.

As part of the property cutbacks, the force could look at co-locating with the fire service and local authorities, and manning ''pop-up'' desks in supermarkets.

There is also the possibility of police services being provided in post offices, in a scheme set to be trialled over the summer.