'Not fit for purpose' fire station could be demolished

The fire station was designed more than 85 years ago

An historic fire station could be demolished and replaced because its doors are "too narrow" for modern fire engines.

The art deco station in Bath was built in 1938 but Avon Fire and Rescue Service has warned it's no longer "fit for purpose" and that engines are "frequently" hitting the doors, reports the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The service has submitted a planning application to Bath and North East Somerset Council to knock down the station and build a modern replacement, which they said would include wider doors, as well as being more energy efficient.

Architectural heritage campaigners have however opposed the plans, claiming a "building of its quality cannot be demolished".

Local architect Alfred J Taylor began designing the fire station in 1937, with his daughter completing the project after his death a year later.

Earlier this year a heritage group called for the building to be saved and submitted an application to Historic England to have the fire station listed.

Their head of casework Coco Whittaker said the station should be "either be sympathetically modernised to meet the needs of the fire service, or adapted for some other use".

But the fire service has warned it would "not be achievable" to refurbish the current building to modern standards due to its age and the ongoing movement of the building.

Avon Fire and Rescue Service says it would be difficult to adapt the building to meet its needs

Plans for the new station also feature new welfare spaces for crew - which Avon Fire and Rescue said are lacking in the existing building.

A letter of support on behalf of the fire crews and staff at the station urged the council to support the plans and said the "modernised" station would provide "spaces that support both physical recuperation and emotional resilience."

Under the plan to demolish and rebuild the fire station, some aspects of the historic building will be preserved.

The original fireman's pole will be reclaimed and incorporated into the final design of the new station and the crest on the façade of the current building reclaimed.