PLANS for a new £30m Area Command Centre for Merseyside Police have been lodged with Wirral Council.

The formal application is the first step in a 15-year strategy which will see six modern centres built across “command units” in Merseyside.

The building is planned for a cleared area of Birkenhead’s former River Streets, running lengthways along Beaufort Road to Ilchester Road, covering much of the former Severn and Buccleuch Streets.

The public have until August 13 to have their say on the application.

The state-of-the-art building will create a focal point for police operations and services currently spread across the peninsula, such as Victim Support and communications.

The application reveals major consideration being given to security, with perimeter protection and boundaries reinforced at statutory counter-terrorism “stand-off distances” which should not be crossed in the event of an emergency.

The building will also move away from the current buildings which see officers working in isolated offices, with a more open-plan feel.

There will, however, be privacy screening in key operational areas and the police authority has requested a total of 238 car parking spaces.