Plans to rebuild Chester Fire Station are approved

Plans to rebuild Chester Fire Station have been approved by the planning committee at Cheshire West & Chester Council.

The decision was made yesterday evening (Tuesday, 4 June) when committee members voted in favour of the revised plans for the St Anne Street site.

The green light comes after the original plans were turned down in November last year. The revised plans had taken the comments about proximity to neighbouring properties into account.

Chief Fire Officer Mark Cashin said: “This is fantastic news for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, but especially for our firefighters and staff at Chester Fire Station, who have long been working in an outdated building that is too large and no longer fit for purpose.

“I’ve said all along that our crews in Chester do a fantastic job, they are prepared to put their lives on the line every day to save lives – they deserve to have a comfortable, modern working environment that meets the needs of a modern day firefighter, so I’m delighted that we now have the option to be able to provide this for them.

“The new fire station will have modern training facilities such as a new training tower, breathing apparatus building and road traffic collision training area, a better working environment for all staff based there, and more space and improved facilities for community engagement.

“The project will not compromise our response to emergencies as a temporary fire station will be created on the site before the current facility is demolished.”

The Fire Authority will consider the matter further in the near future when it will be better placed to understand the conditions attached to the planning permission and determine whether to continue with the planning appeal or proceed with the approved plans.

Meanwhile, a decision on whether to house another fire engine at the station will be made later this year, as part of a wider review looking at emergency cover across the whole county.