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NORTH
KENT
POLICE
STATION
Design Policy
Post
Occupancy
Evaluation

Introduction
Post Occupancy Evaluation:
North Kent Police Station
The Home Offi ce Design Panel helps to achieve good design by providing enabling services and design review on
major or signifi cant police projects. Now that a series of buildings has emerged from this process, the Panel is also
able to draw lessons from reviewing completed projects and buildings in use.
The new North Kent Police Station at Gravesend represents a signifi cant step change in police station design. To
supplement the highly favourable opinion of the building that has developed informally, and to obtain evidence to
inform the procurement of future police buildings, the Home Offi ce Design Panel, with the full backing and support of
Kent Police, commissioned an independent Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE). The aim was to generate systematic
feedback – from the perspective of the building users – on how effectively the new station supports the Force in
undertaking their work.
Why conduct Post Occupancy Evaluations
An important objective of the national initiative for design quality in public buildings is to make a positive contribution
to the appearance of the UK’s towns and streets. But it goes further: good design also needs to function effectively;
it requires ‘fi tness for purpose’. The Home Offi ce’s design quality initiatives – including the project ‘enabling’ and
design review programmes – aim to achieve the best possible buildings. Nonetheless, it is likely if not inevitable
that some design issues will emerge in completed buildings, with some becoming apparent only after the building
has been in use for a period of months. Systematic Post Occupancy Evaluation can provide valuable feedback on
these points, helping to build knowledge both of effective elements that warrant replication in future buildings, and of
aspects that may call for renewed attention.
Case study: North Kent Police Station

Evaluation scope and approach
Undertaken in July 2009 by ZZA Responsive User Environments, the POE was based on well-established research
methodology using structured interviews. The interview sample of 10% involved 36 individuals based in the building,
representing a cross-section of occupancy in terms of functional unit, staff grade and workspace zones. It included
most of the Senior Management Team and the Senior FM person based on site.
The evaluation questions covered: workspace on the Ground, First and Second Floors – including the front counter
reception area and the custody suite, and the building’s informal spaces, with systematic feedback obtained under the
following headline topics:
• Comparison with previous workplace
• Location and access
• Vertical circulation
• Space for individual work
• Internal environment:
air, light, acoustics and fi nishes
• Meeting space
• Co-location and interaction
• Orientation
• WCs, showers and lockers
• User’s overall assessment.
The interviewees’ responses were coded according to a 3-way profi le – Positive, OK, Negative, and the interviewers
also documented the users’ narrative comments that underlie and account for their coded ratings. To give the fi ndings
an action-oriented focus, the aggregated results were classifi ed in terms of:
Major Successes: evaluated as ‘Positive’ by at least 80% of respondents
Successes: evaluated as ‘Positive’ or ‘OK’ by at least 80% of respondents
Issues: evaluated as ‘Negative’ by more than 20% of respondents.
Comparison with previous workplace: Major Success
Given the age and condition of much of the police estate, it is not surprising that new police buildings will be seen
as a vast improvement on the old – and sometimes not so old – accommodation. Most respondents had previously
worked in the former Gravesend Police Station (59.0%), with the rest at Dartford (20.5%), Maidstone (12.0%) or
another station or offi ce (9.0%). Overall, users rated the new station as a Major Success compared to their previous
workplace, and specifi cally rated the following aspects of comparison as Major Successes: the building image – both
inside and out, their workspace and working area, and space for meetings and group work. Additionally, the facilities
for informal interaction were rated as a Success, as was the building and its setting with all aspects taken together.
“Morale has improved. The old 1970s police station was never fi t for purpose. This [building] has impressed.”
“People speak highly of the building, especially if they’re not from the building itself. It’s like a London
building, with its structure etc, and people want to see inside.”
“You always have a clean space to work; it makes you happier to work.”
“There’s a clear advantage with the location: we’re not stuck in the town centre with traffi c problems, and
the size and ability to expand, and the opportunities. For example, in custody there’re lots of innovations,
with technology and so on. Having to tinker with the existing custody was not effective; building a new one
is hugely benefi cial – it lends to the ability of the force. And for the hub, if you don’t have a system to manage
the fl ow etc there’re risks.”
“Energy use is monitored on a weekly basis; it’s signifi cantly lower than elsewhere.”

Benefi ts of co-location and interaction
Co-location and interaction in the new station is identifi ed as an overall Success, with the co-location of different
functions reported as supporting operational effectiveness, the co-location of custody supporting both custody and
other operations, and facilities for relaxation and sociability considered effective. The operational advantages include
improved communication, through improved visibility and access to people, as well as proximity for primary activities
such as ease of accessibility to the property store and CIS.
Provision of space to hold meetings contributes to the building’s effectiveness. The size and design of the meeting
rooms is identifi ed as a Major Success, and the availability of rooms and convenience of the booking system are
rated as Successes. Users also reported high usage of informal spaces – the canteen, the breakout spaces and the
outside patio and garden.
“It’s centralised and the teams are together. For example, psychologically there’s a comfort factor on
the night shift. Now you have 10 people instead of fi ve in the room with you, and they’re all here – you
don’t have to go to Dartford to see people anymore.”
“You can posture all resources in the same location, and it enhances communication. Two BCUs in
Kent have three districts, South Kent covers a huge area and each one has a station – here all are in the
same building. So you can just chat and get everyone together. You can quickly run and deploy a whole
team from here – we don’t have a fragmented system and processes. It’s all here.”
“We used to be on top of each other. In this building we have a big room with different parts of the
business in one big room and close by. It’s conducive.”

Overall assessment
Importantly, the Successes reported on the following indices provide signifi cant endorsements for the building:
• Satisfaction with the current work environment
• Infl uence of the workspace on effectiveness and productivity
• Physical work environment contributing to work enjoyment
• Infl uence of the work environment on work-life balance.
“It assists our work. Compared with where we were, the conditions are exceptional here, the environment
is very good... From the people in my team I’ve heard nothing but praise.”
“You’ve got more space here. We don’t have to fi nd different spaces for storage, we have enough space
for items of property that we come in contact with.”
“It professionalises what we’re doing. In a deprived area, the community see the building and the
facilities. It’s a positive message that we’re investing in the area. [The stations at] Dartford and
Gravesend were very poor buildings, it was almost a negative investment by the police. We’ve done
marketing, for example, we had an emergency services day in the big fi eld behind the building, and we
use the station as a backdrop.”
“Having spoken to people in the community, most North Kent residents are familiar with the building, it’s a
focus point and an impressive building. We use it in marketing to the local community, it’s positive for our
image.”
Successful openness and open plan
A Major Success relates to acoustics, which users evaluated in terms of low noise levels in both their immediate
working area and anywhere else in the building. This is an instructive result, especially when considering the
openness of many of the building’s informal spaces, such as the canteen and breakout areas, as well as the move to
open plan working.
Finishes
“Because it’s open plan, it makes it a lot more accessible for everyone.”
“It allows interaction, for example, when you’re walking on the fl oors and with the breakout areas. I see
more in the informal areas than you would normally when [you’re] in offi ces.”
“I don’t particularly notice noise from the canteen, even though we’re right next to it.” “The sound-
proofi ng is pretty good. You don’t hear anything from the traffi c.”
Ratings were positive for the building’s fi nishes, with the fl oor surfaces in all areas rated as either Major Successes or
Successes.
“I like it. I usually don’t like modern, but this is a lovely looking building.”

Points for consideration in designing future police buildings
Location and staff amenity
Town centre locations offer a wider choice of amenities and venues where staff can get away from the workplace
during their breaks. When workplaces relocate to out-of-town sites – for the numerous good operational reasons
involved, careful thought is warranted regarding on-site amenities that will support staff effectively through working
hours, especially with 24-hour operations. Where alternative outlets close to the building are not available in the
vicinity, appropriate support within the building is very important. This covers: canteen opening hours, food quality
and pricing, facilities for staff to store and make their own food, and an adequate supply of hot and cold water points.
The design and equipment of facilities such as gyms should also be factored in.
Accessing the building
Signage should identify the building easily, and with adequate notice, to moving traffi c on the approach road.
Consideration should be given to locating public and staff entrances on different elevations, as some staff feel
concerned about people coming to the public entrance being able to identify them as police employees, and to avoid
the risk of unauthorised access. Prior to entering the building, signage should clearly distinguish the public entrance
from those doors entered by staff.
In similar vein, the public at the front desk should not be able to identify specifi c members of staff within the building.
Within reception/ front counter areas, facilities for public visitors should include access to a WC and to drinking water.
Staff who wish to cycle to work require associated support facilities such as adequate covered parking, and effective
shower and changing facilities that are conveniently located.
Consideration needs to be given to the experience of the front counter staff, for whom, as well as being prone to
excessive solar brightness where there is extensive glazing, other risks are: diffi culty with temperature control and air
circulation, inadequate task lighting and diffi culty in hearing members of the public arising from the height of the desk.
Benches outside the building are appropriate to provide for people waiting to be collected outside the station.
Orientation + vertical circulation
Signage should be clear, prominent and accurate, as well as capable of easy updating. It should identify facilities and
departments, and possibly also individuals within the respective groups.
Given public policy concerns for both environmentally-friendly building operations and health and fi tness, vertical
access by stairs should be facilitated. Consideration should be given to providing pleasant stair access close to the
lifts, offering a real alternative to basic utilitarian designs that users liken to fi re stairs. The stairs should be obvious
and clearly signed, rather than be hidden behind doors. Users appreciate daylight on stairs, as well as elements of
visual display.
Given some users’ sense of modesty or anxiety about heights, consideration should be given to provision of some
solid screening on lifts and balustrades at high level, rather than screening all facilities in glass.
Workspace layout
Given the value that staff place on co-location and ease of communication, the layout of workspace should facilitate
interaction with colleagues both in the same departments and those in other units. Aim to avoid cutting staff off from
visual contact with their teams, by the layout, by orienting the doors to offi ces away from teams seated in the open
plan, or by use of solid front partitions to offi ces. Where Senior Management choose to sit together in a grouped suite
of Senior Management offi ces, factor in the associated risk of them being seen as remote from their teams.
Custody: layout and desk design
Excessive height of the custody desk can pose a risk of added tension in processing detainees. Providing a sense of
enclosure on the detainee side of the charge desk, to help maintain privacy and confi dentiality of different detainees
who may be interviewed at desk at the same time, and providing sightlines from the custody desk to the cells and
interview rooms, will also support custody operations.

Air and light
Public policy in favour of energy effi ciency is now echoed by wider environmental interest and concern, with users
wanting simple solutions and a degree of local control. Consideration and necessary modelling should be applied
to ensure optimal temperatures in the primary workspace areas, and to avoid draughts from air-conditioning or
displacement ventilation outlets and from doors that open to the exterior, eg. from a restaurant to an external garden
area. A perception that the air does not feel fresh may be linked to inability to open windows.
The impact of full-height partitioning on building performance should be fully anticipated, given that this can alter the
performance of an energy effi cient base building, by reducing the scope for cross-fl ow and increasing reliance on airconditioning.
Consideration should be given to control over lighting levels in order to avoid excessive brightness from direct solar
impact, and excessive and/ or unnecessary artifi cial light. Lack of such control causes user frustration in regard to
both comfort and energy use. The fundamental control strategies are passive, deriving from building orientation,
elevational treatments and shading. The next line of approach involves switches, dimmers and blinds. The need to
dim or switch off artifi cial lighting is especially relevant in zones of the fl oor plate adjacent to glazed elevations. The
risk with cellular workspace is impacting on the scope for natural light or external aspect that users value highly.
Acoustics
Reception and paging systems should be designed to avoid unnecessary interruptions across an entire building,
through tannoy calls for hosts to meet the visitors, and custody affray alarms sounding outside of the custody suite.
Finishes
In terms of fl oor fi nishes, avoid slippery surfaces which can be problematic in wet conditions, as well as surfaces that
mark easily or deteriorate under the weight of relevant cleaning equipment.
Consider the need for visual stimulation, avoiding a monochromatic palette, and providing for spaces to display
operational information and communiqués in a managed and orderly way.
WCs, showers and lockers
Lifestyle changes in favour of exercise are gaining ground and increasingly popular. Consideration should, therefore,
be given to increasing provision for showers that are conveniently located, well-designed as regards privacy, modesty
and gender separation, and for changing provision that is convenient for clothes storage and changing.
Gyms
When providing a gym, consideration should be given to ensuring an appropriate temperature, direct access to
showers and changing facilities. Care in stacking should avoid disturbance to neighbouring offi ces above or below
from music and vibrations.

Acknowledgements
The Home Office Design Policy team would like to thank Kent Police for taking part in this post
occupancy evaluation and ZZA Responsive User Environments for carrying it out. Thanks also to the
photographer, Keith Collie.
Photographs © Keith Collie

ISBN: 978-1-84987-085-6
Design Policy – North Kent Police Station, Post Occupancy Evaluation
October 2009
HO_01473_G