Cash-strapped PSNI inks deal to buy 54-acre disused Kinnegar army barracks near Belfast

Kinnegar Logistics Base, in Holywood a few minutes drive to the east of the city, was both a barracks and prisoner of war camp during the Second World War, and housed large numbers of troops and civilian staff during the Troubles.

The police are now going through legal processes to get the deeds to the site, and are described as wanting to move in 'at pace'.

The PSNI were publicly named as the likely buyer of the site two months ago, but the News Letter can now reveal that a deal has been inked.

It's not yet known what the police want with the huge property, though rumoured uses include turning it into a new headquarters or training ground, or a combination of the two.

It also isn't clear how much they paid for it, or why the cash-strapped cops decided it was worth spending what is likely to be a substantial sum on 54-acre grounds.

According to a report that's due to be debated later this week by Ards and North Down Council, which covers the Holywood area, the PSNI has now 'commenced the legal process for the transfer of the site', though it'll probably be several months before they get the keys.

Council officials state that a PSNI representative told them the police are 'keen to move at pace' and 'would be moving into occupation' as soon as they take ownership of the site.

The barracks have been out of action for years, with the Ministry of Defence first saying it wanted to get rid of the property in 2016.

Deemed surplus to requirements, they were shut down and over the past few years have become increasingly derelict.

But the sale was held up when Kinnegar was turned into an emergency mortuary for Covid victims after the pandemic hit.

Around 18 months ago, it was named on leaked documents as a location the Home Office was eyeing up as potential accommodation for asylum seekers.

Up to 500 beds could be found in the barracks, the documents claimed.

But then-Immigration Minister, Robert Jenrick, subsequently ruled that out, stating Kinnegar wasn’t part of the government’s trawl for ‘alternative large-scale sites’.

The police's purchase will put the minds of many nearby residents minds at ease.

People living close to the barracks were worried that a private developer would turn it into a massive housing scheme, inevitably meaning large numbers of motorists would be routed down the area's residential streets.

The PSNI were contacted and asked how much money they're spending on Kinnegar, what they're going to do with it and how they can justify such a large expense at a time when Chief Constable Jon Boutcher repeatedly hits the headlines with statements about how little money the police has.

Cutbacks this year alone include closing 11 station enquiry offices and further reducing the number of Neighbourhood Police Officers, while the PSNI recently admitted it is ‘increasingly unable to keep people safe’ under current staffing levels.

The body is yet to issue a response to the Kinnegar questions.