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Home » News & Events » 2012 » October » Building Starts on Joint Emergency Services Station

Building Starts on Joint Emergency Services Station

Construction work started today at the site on Slideslow Drive (near the Artrix theatre) of a brand new combined police and fire station that will be a key part of Bromsgrove District Council’s ongoing regeneration plan for the area. 


Preparation work has now finished in the site, which included the demolishing of an old building from the It is anticipated that the building work will take approximately a year to complete and the site will be ready by January 2014.

The station will be the first project delivered under the Worcestershire Capital Asset Pathfinder initiative, which looks at how a partnership approach to public services - for example by combining police and fire & rescue in one location - can lead to better local services, increased value for money and efficiencies through shared facilities.

Jim Stobie, head of the Estate Services department at West Mercia Police, said: “This project is the result of endeavours by a number of public sector organisations and will hopefully act as a catalyst for the regeneration of central Bromsgrove.

“Nationally it will be the first of its kind and may eventually be replicated across the country.

“The new site will replace two old police and fire stations that are expensive to run and will incur increasing costs to maintain as time goes on. By sharing common facilities, the cost of the new building will reduce by 20 per cent.”

Ian Edwards, Head of Asset Management at Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are pleased that this innovative shared project is now underway. This new facility will be of great benefit to the local community and also to our staff serving the community.”

The construction work is being undertaken by contractors Thomas Vale under the West Midlands Constructors Framework, a £180m construction framework launched in 2010 to deliver public sector works across the region on behalf of a number of participating authorities.

Rather than procuring work individually, the WMCF allows public sector bodies to deliver construction work in a more efficient and cost effective way through three appointed construction firms, which include Thomas Vale Construction. Other projects include Stourport Primary School and St Georges Primary School.

Andrew Peasgood, West Midlands Contractor Framework Manager commented: “I think this is a great step forward in reducing excessive building costs, by combining two of our vital services in the Bromsgrove area. This is the first of its kind and hopefully other authorities will follow.”

Richard Green, Traditional Projects Director said; “This is a great project for the local area and very innovative in how it’s utilised one space for two very important services. I look forward to getting stuck into this project, as this is definitely a one-of-a-kind.”