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List Description: Police Station and Premises

SCat Code: 215 Suffix G

This is a generalist class and responsibility for valuation will lie with the appropriate business unit. Queries of a complex nature arising from the valuation of individual properties should be referred to the National Valuation Unit (NVU) Class Lead via the Class Co-ordination Team (CCT).

NVU Civic Team has overall responsibility for the co-ordination of this class. The CCT are responsible for the approach to and accuracy and consistency of valuations. The CCT will deliver Practice Notes describing the valuation basis for revaluation and provide advice as necessary during the life of the rating lists. Caseworkers have a responsibility to:

• follow the advice given at all times
• not depart from the guidance given on appeals or maintenance work without approval from the co-ordination team
• seek advice from the co-ordination team should any issues arise that are not covered in this instruction

Police stations are a suigeneris class and consequently, as a general rule, only evidence relating to hereditaments in the same mode or category of use is pertinent. See:

• Scottish and Newcastle (Retail) Ltd v Williams (VO) (RA 2000 P 119) and the subsequent Court of Appeal decision Williams (VO) v Scottish and Newcastle Retail and Allied Domecq [RA 2001 P 41)
• Re the appeal of Reeves (VO) RA 2007 P168
• Dawkins (VO) v Royal Leamington Spa BC and Warwickshire County Council (1961) RVR 291.

See Rating Manual Section 2 Part 7 Appendix 2 thereof for guidance on mode and category of use at the material day.

However, in some circumstances it may be appropriate to have regard to rental evidence derived from other modes or categories of use such as general office use, particularly where the hereditament might reasonably be described as offices occupied by the police. Many police stations are now used for administrative purposes due to the centralisation of specialist uses. See 8. below and Re the appeal of Reeves (VO) RA 2007.

6.1 Method of Measurement

Police stations may be valued by either the rental/comparative method or by reference to the contractors basis. The basis of valuation will determine the method of measurement required: Net Internal Area (NIA) in respect of the rental/comparative method and Gross Internal Area (GIA) in respect of the contractors basis. It will be necessary to ascertain the basis of valuation prior to inspection but in case of doubt sufficient measurement and survey information should be recorded to enable valuations to be carried out using either basis.

6.2 Description

Hereditaments occupied by the police forces are extremely varied in terms of construction, layout and size, characteristics which are largely dictated by their function.

The smallest police stations will cater for only limited public access, consisting of a reception area with enquiry desk and a small office with WC and mess facilities but with no cells/custody suite. At the other extreme regional HQs will contain a full range of facilities which may include extensive offices, staff facilities, custody suite, identification parade facilities, victim examination suites, scene of crime suites, major incident facilities, training facilities including rifle ranges, garages, workshops of various types, stables and dog training or kennel facilities. Some of the more specialised facilities will normally be found as separate stand-alone hereditaments, these including purpose-built custody suites.

The majority of police hereditaments are purpose-built. Exceptions are stations housed in shop units. There are also a small number of police stations, which are known to have been physically adapted from office premises acquired on the open market. The considerable range of administrative work undertaken by police forces may in some cases lead to occupation of ordinary office hereditaments.

6.3 Requirements

a) Unit of Assessment

The principles referred to in Rating Manual Section 2 Part 2 2. Identification of the hereditament should be adhered to. In cases of difficulty advice from the Technical Advisor/NVU specialist should be obtained. The normal approach should be applied to the identification of hereditaments and no attempt should be made to aggregate property which on normal rating principles constitutes more than

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