Asbestos use in indoor firearms ranges

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.22.023574

I note you seek access to the following information:

Was asbestos used in any of the following firearm facilities for sound insulation and/or as a fire retardant on the floors, walls or ceilings at any of the following Police Stations:
Marylebone, Holborn, City Road, Old Street, Maurice Drummond Section House, Paddington, Lippetts Hill and Purfleet.

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

Lippitts Hill
Asbestos Surveys for Lippitts Hill in 1989 and in 2007 after the ranges closed, did not find any Asbestos containing materials (ACMs) within the Firing ranges.
These Ranges were all open air. The walls/roof were constructed of “Strummit” Board/part “Coustone” acoustic wall tiles (a “Silica” bonded stone product) and floors are solid concrete. None of these products used contained Asbestos. These Ranges closed in 2004.

Marylebone Police Station (Sold in 2014)
The 2009 Type 2 Asbestos Survey did not identify any ACMs in the Firing Range.
The internal Range area walls ceilings consisted of “Ecophon” acoustic wall panels on brickwork. Floors were “Altro” Linoleum on concrete. None of these products contained asbestos. The Range closed in 2004 when the building was sold and since demolished.

Holborn Police Station
The 2011 Management Survey did not identify any asbestos within the Firing Range. There is no record of ACMs being found during the 2011 Refurbishment & Demolition survey carried out prior to the 2012 refurbishment of the firing range.
The original range construction was Timber battens on walls and ceilings fixed on acoustic felt material. Floors were all solid concrete. This Range has been refurbished twice since its original construction and “Coustone” acoustic wall panels replaced the timber battens. The range was again refurbished around 2012 and the “Coustone” wall panels removed and replaced with “Ragipol” acoustic tiles (a shredded rubber material) Floors also now consist of rubber tiles on solid concrete. None of these products contained asbestos. This range is still in us

Shoreditch Police Station (City Road)
The 2004 Type 2 Survey did not identify any ACMs in the Firing Range. The 2011 Refurbishment & Demolition survey carried out prior to the 2012 refurbishment of the firing range also did not identify any ACMs.
The original range construction was Timber battens on walls and ceilings fixed on acoustic felt material. Floors were all solid concrete. This Range has been refurbished twice since its original construction and “Coustone” acoustic panels replaced the timber battens. The range was again refurbished around 2012 and the “Coustone” wall panels removed and replaced with “Ragipol” acoustic tiles (a shredded rubber material) Floors also now consist of rubber tiles on solid concrete. None of these products contained Asbestos. This range is still in use

Old Street Police Station (Sold 22/02/2006)
We are currently unable to locate any asbestos records for this property. However there was no firing range located in this building.

Maurice Drummond Section House (sold 01/02/2005)
We are currently unable to locate any asbestos surveys for this property.
There were 2 timber batten ranges in this basement facility, consisting of timber battens on walls and ceilings fixed on acoustic backing felt material. Floors were all solid concrete. None of these products contained Asbestos. Operational firearms training ceased at this range when the building was sold in 2005.

Paddington Green (Sold 23/07/2020)
There was no firing range located in this building.

Purfleet range
These were all open air ranges shared use with the MOD. The MPS pulled out of this site late 80s- early 90s. This was not an MPS owned site and the MPS does not have any records of whether Asbestos containing materials were used in the construction of the firing ranges for either acoustic or fire prevention purposed.