Merseyside fire stations to be combined in £40m project

The £40m fire station will replace existing sites in Croxteth and Aintree

Two fire stations will be combined in a £40m project Merseyside bosses say will improve responses to large incidents.

Plans to create the new station featuring a training academy in Aintree have been approved by the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority (MFRA).

The station will replace existing sites in Croxteth and Aintree, providing "exceptional" facilities for crews, chief fire officer Phil Garrigan said.

Mr Garrigan added the hub would make Merseyside "safer and more resilient".

Liverpool Council granted planning permission for the new fire station to be built in Long Lane earlier in May, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A budget of almost £40m has been set aside by the authority.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) said the hub would allow crews to train in realistic situations which they cannot currently do at the existing Croxteth and Aintree stations.

'More fire engines'

Plans for the hub include four appliance bays, operational and welfare accommodation and a four-storey training tower.

Mr Garrigan said: "In a nutshell, we will be safer, more effective, more resilient, have more fire engines available across Merseyside and we will be quicker to those areas identified."

He added no fossil fuels would used on site with air source heat pumps and photovoltaic panels will providing the hub's energy.

The chief officer acknowledged the investment was a "significant amount of money" but said it would bring "hugely significant benefits" including 20 new firefighter posts.

Councillor Les Byram, chair of the fire authority, said the "whole fire community will benefit from this world-class facility".

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