Fire station gets temporary home despite concerns

The fire station is to move while its current 1950s building is replaced

Hereford’s fire station is to get a temporary new home despite worries over its impact on neighbouring roads.

Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service applied to move to Mortimer Trading Centre off Mortimer Road, for up to five years while the current base is rebuilt.

City and county councillors raised concerns about traffic on nearby roads, described as "congested" and "rat runs".

But Herefordshire Council awarded planning permission, judging that a plan to use separate entrances and exits to the site was acceptable.

Hereford city councillors said they could "clearly see issues with the access of the site”, while Perseverance Road was “too small and often congested”.

Herefordshire councillor Polly Andrews said she had “considerable anxieties about this proposed site”, as “both Mortimer Road and Perseverance Road are very well used rat runs” while Mortimer Road “is quite narrow, with cars parked along it at all times”.

But following further information submitted by the fire service, Herefordshire Council’s transport officer concluded that the proposal “would not lead to a significant increase in use of the access over the existing [industrial] use”, nor were there issues with parking.

The authority's planning officer Ollie Jones explained that on-call fire engines would now exit westward via Perseverance Road onto the A49 Holmer Road, but would return via Mortimer Road to the south, which would “reduce the overall potential for conflicts”.

With “adequate space for safe vehicle manoeuvring within the site”, he concluded the proposal was acceptable.

Given the site’s previous use as a metal galvaniser, a report dealing with any contamination risk will be required. The site must also be restored to its previous industrial use after the five-year term.

The fire service gained planning permission in April last year to replace the city’s 1950s fire station on St Owen Street, which it said was “no longer fit for purpose, uneconomic to operate and poor in its environmental performance”.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.