Work starts on new fire station for two towns

Work began yesterday on a £2m project for the replacement of Pontefract and Knottingley fire stations.

The complex, in Bondgate which is mid-way between the two existing stations and has good access to key road networks, will secure fire cover in the area into the foreseeable future.

Local fire authority councillor, Philip Booth, who cut the first sod to get construction work under way, said the merger of Pontefract and Knottingley into a better-located, state-of-the-art building had first been mooted back in 2006 to underpin a major revamp of fire cover across the Five Towns.

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Coun Booth said the Five Towns project as a whole had been frustrated by difficulties with land acquisition and other technical issues but he was delighted that the scheme was now coming to fruition.

He said: “This represents a vital commitment to the communities of Knottingley and Pontefract and will be widely welcomed.’’

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Steve Beckley, the brigade’s Director of Operations, said the new station would occupy a critical strategic location, enabling firefighters to provide a quick emergency response across the area.

He said; ‘‘Replacements for Normanton and Castleford stations will soon be coming on stream which, in total, will represent some £5m worth of investment in fire cover for the Five Towns.’’

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It is hoped that the new building would be completed by early 2012. Building work will be carried out by ISG, which recently completed work for the fire authority on Safety Central in Bramley, the county’s award-winning centre of excellence for fire safety education and training.

John Gittins, the company’s regional managing director, said: “ISG has forged a close working relationship with the fire authority over a number of years. This latest scheme in Pontefract represents a significant investment in the organisation’s core infrastructure.”