Burwell beats the cuts to get new fire station
Firefighters in Burwell will soon be based in a new and improved fire station – twice the size of the current facility.
The station will be built on a larger site at its current location of Reach Road as part of an agreement between Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) and landowners Cambridgeshire County Council.
The news will come as a relief to firefighters in the village who had faced the possibility of losing jobs and fire equipment when a list of potential money-saving proposals was announced by CFRS in May 2011.
Cllr Fred Brown, chairman of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Fire Authority, said the move was needed to improve Burwell’s “dated” fire station, which he said was “too small for the training needs of the crew”.
He said: “The fire authority is looking closely at how we provide efficient fire cover in this part of Cambridgeshire. This gives us the opportunity to upgrade facilities and rationalise provision in this area.
“This new site is twice the size of our current site, with enough space for training. A modern, efficient station will also cost less to maintain.”
Hazel Williams, district councillor for Burwell, who launched a petition in the village to oppose CFRS’s proposed service cuts in August 2011, said preserving a fire station in the village was “incredibly important”.
She said: “The cover that Burwell Fire Station provides across the county is brilliant. I’m sure the retained firemen will be over the moon to have better training facilities.”
A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was too early to know how much the project would cost or when building work would begin.
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Wednesday 22 May 2013
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