Work will get under way on Stone’s new community fire station in October after Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service was given the green light for 11 new stations across the county.
Stone community fire station will be open as a community venue in February 2015, although it should be operational by November next year. It will be business as usual for firefighters based at the old station – which was built in 1975 – throughout the building project.
Funding of £45 million has been made available from the Government’s Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme for the 11 new stations. The project is the second phase of an innovative programme to provide state-of-the-art fire stations across Staffordshire which are also community-focused with facilities to benefit local people.
The new stations will be equipped with hi-tech operational facilities and have space for more community safety activities such as Student Firefighter courses. All of the new stations also incorporate dedicated rooms and amenities for the benefit of community groups, while stations crewed round the clock will have fitness equipment that can be used by supervised groups.
Community stations opened in phase one are providing a meeting place for more than 200 different groups, charities and public sector organisations across the country ranging from Staffordshire Police, the NHS, Citizens Advice Bureau and housing associations to music for the Turkish community, creative writing and gardening.
Phase one of the scheme received £45m in funding and saw three additional stations developed and seven stations replaced between October 2009 and September 2011.
The phase two contractor is blue3 consortium, formed through a partnership between Kier and Calderpeel. The consortium is responsible for the design, construction and ongoing maintenance of the buildings.
Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive Peter Dartford said: “Here in Staffordshire we are at the forefront of the UK’s Fire and Rescue Service. We are developing fire stations that are purpose-designed for our role in the 21st century as a proactive fire prevention service and which are also at the heart of their community, providing modern facilities for local people, local groups and other local services to use and enjoy.
“Once this massive undertaking is complete – in 2016 – Staffordshire will have rebuilt a total of 17 fire stations, created three brand new stations in areas of need and one station in a new location, and refurbished a further six stations.”
Chase Terrace, built in the late 60s, is the first station to be rebuilt in phase two, with work due to start on July 15 and scheduled for completion in late summer 2014.
Stations at Longton, Kinver, Rugeley and Stone will follow in 2013, while Codsall, Loggerheads, Penkridge, Leek, Burton-on-Trent and Lichfield all come on stream in 2014. The last station – Lichfield – should be completed by late spring 2016.
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