COUNCIL bosses defended plans to treble the number of staff at Salisbury police station at a public meeting on Wednesday.

Wiltshire Council deputy leader John Thomson backed the proposals, which would see the number of personnel at the city-centre Bourne Hill offices rise from 29 to 87.

Cllr Thomson said: “The police have been in Bourne Hill for a while now and in that time it has been a great success.

“We need to make sure there are no empty spaces in the building, and the increase in police officers will fill any wasted space.”

When challenged by concerned resident Mary Stephens, Cllr Thomson claimed “you do not need any planning permission to sit in an office”.

But city councillor Mike Osment reminded Cllr Thomson that the planned changes “are in fact subject to a planning application”.

Wiltshire Council cabinet member for finance Dick Tonge also backed the proposals.

He said: “These changes are good because they are reducing costs, we have been moving towards this for a while.”

Bourne Hill has been shared by Wiltshire Council and Wiltshire Police since August 2014 after the old police station in Wilton Road was closed in June that year.

Salisbury City Council has objected to the plans on grounds of safety, noise, loss of amenity for the Arts Centre, a lack of proper consultation with local residents and air quality issues arising from additional traffic, particularly diesel vehicles in the city centre.

But Wiltshire Council officers have raised no safety concerns about the plans and said any noise from the extra seven vehicles using the site would not be “significant”.

And they say there will not be a loss of amenity to the arts centre.

In his report, planning officer Adam Madge addresses concerns over police response vehicles leaving the station at speed. He said: “Clearly in the case of an emergency, police vehicles are entitled to exceed the imposed 20mph speed limit in this residential area.

“The majority of responses are carried out when officers are already away from the office. On occasions when they are required to leave the office in an emergency this will clearly be carried out in the safest manner possible.

He added: “Police response drivers are highly qualified and trained to read the road conditions in an area and respond accordingly.”

Concluding, Mr Madge recommended the plans for approval, adding that they would “provide public benefits that outweigh any perceived disbenefits”.

Wiltshire Councillors will decide whether to approve the scheme at a meeting on October 13.