New Worcester fire station plans approved

A new fire station has been approved to replace Hereford & Worcester FRS's current "ageing" one in Worcester city centre.

The new station will replace the 70-year-old Copenhagen Road station with construction, by developers St Modwen, set to take an estimated 12 months. The cost of the development is not yet known.

Once the new station is built, the Copenhagen Road building will be sold off with money from the sale used to off-set the cost of providing the new station, according to a HWFRS spokesman. 

Chief Fire Officer Mark Yates added: “Our current fire station in Copenhagen Street has served us well for the last 70 years but lacks modern training facilities and is no longer fit for purpose.  The site is very constricted and the building is very costly to maintain due to its age and design.

“Obviously the decision to build a new fire station in the current economic climate had to be carefully considered, but a new station for Worcester is vital if we are to provide a cost-effective and safe, fit-for-purpose location for our crews to work from. The building of this new station demonstrates our commitment to investing in the safety of the people who live in the city as well as our firefighters.”

The station will have five bays for vehicles, storage areas, offices, lecture facilities and will incorporate a training yard and training building, with provision for the Young Firefighters Association. The new building will be far more energy efficient and will provide significant savings in this respect over the medium to long term future.

Image courtesy of www.hwfire.org.uk, visit the HW FRS site for more details