Anti-crime designs to be praised (From Gazette & Herald)

Anti-crime designs to be praised

Police are preparing to swoop on a brand new office development at Swinton Grange, near Malton.

But Inspector David Cooper, commander of North Yorkshire Police eastern region, won't be there to make arrests but to praise the developers and architects for their anti-crime designs.

He will be presenting a Secure By Design certificate to developers Amadeus Properties Ltd and architects GWICP of Manchester, at an open morning at the development on Thursday, March 30.

GWICP arrived at its designs for five buildings in the former stable block of Swinton Grange, after a number of meetings with the police.

The result was that the buildings, some of them adaptations of cottages and stables, others new builds, will be externally lit at night, and are equipped with toughened lockable windows, extra door locks and special fittings for burglar alarms.

Swinton Grange is the former country home of the Rothschild family, sold in the early 1980s to IT company Spectratech.

It, in turn, was bought out by US firm Daniel, then shut down. Amadeus Properties bought out the Grange and its entire 15 acres, including woodland, in 2001.

It sold the main house to Escada Systems Ltd, which now occupies part of the house while the remainder of the house is let to the Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Primary Care Trust.

The conversion of the stable block makes it the largest high quality business park in the area. Already one of the five new offices has been sold to tourism and heritage consultancy PLB Projects Ltd, which has now moved from offices at The Maltings, Malton, while interest has been expressed in either buying or renting the remainder.

Agent Andrew McBeath, of MPC in Clifton Moor, said: "We have had a couple of offers to purchase at this early stage."

The offices range in size from 1,280 sq ft to a little more than 4,000 sq ft. Leaseholds are being offered at about £11 per sq ft, while long lease effective freeholds are being offered at £130 per sq ft.

Updated: 11:48 Wednesday, March 22, 2006