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Case Study

Metropolitan Police – major relocations and clearances

Ongoing support for the MPS programme of estate rationalisation


Since 2014 Crown Workspace have been working in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and their facilities management contract integrators KBR, providing moves and changes management and tailored services including relocation, storage and furniture reuse, to support a period of significant rationalisation within the MPS estate.

A number of major relocations and clearances formed the basis of the rationalisation, which required specialist services such as high-level security clearance, sensitive handling of artefacts, forensic laboratory contents, and handling of firearms and ammunition.

The strategic vision of the MPS was to create more flexible workspaces to support a larger number of staff as part of the ‘Smarter Working’ initiative. Key objectives for this long-term project have been for sustainability, cost-effectiveness and minimum impact on the MPS’ day-to-day work.

Sustainability at the heart of relocations, moves & changes

A Crown Workspace Account Manager and Account Director work closely with KBR and the MPS Property Service Directorate to provide the necessary strategic planning and contract management required for this sensitive and dynamic contract.

Dedicated Move Managers work closely with the operational teams to fulfil service, financial, security and organisational requirements, maintaining the delivery of financial and environmental savings throughout the contract.

Alongside the major relocations outlined below, Crown proactively facilitate the implementation and daily use of reuse and recycling schemes to enable sustainable furniture procurement, remanufacture and recycling for the MPS team.

Facilitating ‘Smarter Working’

Closure of New Scotland Yard (NSY), near St James’ Park

The closure of this iconic building was a key project, with around 3,500 staff being relocated across the wider estate. Careful planning ensured the delivery of maximum cost savings and minimum impact on the daily work of MPS staff.

A dedicated team was put together by Crown for this project, which included key specialisms to provide the ultra-secure and sensitive materials to be relocated. Crown’s security-cleared IT team worked in conjunction with the MPS Digital Policing Team. A specialist historical moves team took responsibility for the clearance of the memorabilia artefacts and Crime Museum, also carefully organising transport of the ‘eternal flame’ that remains alight as a tribute to fallen officers.

This closure took place prior to NSY’s relocation to new premises in Westminster, also supported by Crown.

Lambeth HQ

To commence the refurbishment of this property which was to take place over a 9-month period, Crown relocated 1,500 staff from this building into other locations within the estate. As areas became available post-refurbishment, Crown‘s team packed and moved staff back into the building. Once again, security clearance and specialist handlers were required to fulfil the relocation of firearms and ammunition stores, forensic teams and police laboratories.

Hendon Police Training Facility

Taking place within the same time frame as the NSY relocations, Crown provided a compressed service to flexibly deliver the relocation of 1,200 staff into these newly built training facilities.

Empress State Building

To implement the roll-out of the ‘Smarter Working’ strategy across this building, Crown carried out the restack, relocating 2000 staff at this site over a 3-month period. This involved significant furniture re-configurations and updating of IT and communication equipment, with redundant furniture and equipment collected for storage and reuse. Once pre-move preparations were completed, Crown relocated an additional 1,200 staff into this facility following the NSY exit.

Mandela Way

A large-scale project with numerous artefacts, exhibits and stored items, the contents of the Mandela Way property were all to be moved to a new purpose-built facility in Belvedere. Collaborating closely with MPS and KBR, Crown put together an intense four-month program of works, which was implemented against tight time schedules to allow the building to be handed over for development. Amongst the many items moved were 2,400 pallets of exhibits/PPE, a bespoke cash safe room, four large 20-foot containers of frozen contents, 600 pallets from the uniform store and all staff offices.

Daily Relocation and Reuse Support

To support the ongoing estate rationalisation projects, Crown Workspace proactively developed a technological solution to permit the client to sustainably procure and relocate furniture. Crown manages and facilitates this online portal ‘Swap Shop’ within which MPS staff can ‘shop’ for furniture items in storage, or request items to be remanufactured/refurbished to specific requirements at Crown’s award-winning Renew Centre.

Crown has two embedded teams who make daily visits to the MPS estate to collect redundant items of furniture, IT or electrical items to be assessed, photographed, stored for reuse, remanufactured or recycled if at end-of-life.

With assets gained from the clearance of estate buildings, Crown has enabled the MPS to make enormous financial and environmental savings:

  • In excess of 3,000 items of furniture reused via the Swap Shop
  • Over 200 desks remanufactured rather than recycled
  • More than 3,540 tonnes of CO2(e) saved
  • Over £300,000 saved in procurement costs
  • At least £15,000 in waste cost savings

The services provided included:

  • Dedicated Account Manager and Account Director
  • Two embedded teams to work across MPS estate
  • Relocation and specialist moves services
  • Sustainable furniture procurement
  • Reuse support for furniture, IT and electrical
  • Creation of online ‘Swap Shop’ portal
  • Ongoing moves and changes support

Find out more about our Specialist Relocations services here

Find out more about our Moves and Changes services here

“We told Crown to say ‘yes’ to everything and so far, they haven’t let us down! From that day on, we have worked seamlessly as a team, finding operational solutions when faced with conflicting programmes and at the same time, retaining an ability to be innovate.”


Keith Limburn CBIFM, Assistant Director, Facilities Management

“We are delighted to be working with the MPS on this contract that enables them to achieve their sustainability objectives through re-using and recycling redundant office furniture and equipment.”


Phil Oram, Director, Crown Workspace