Telford-based building and civil engineering contractor McPhillips (Wellington) Limited have won a contract to modernise Telford Central fire station for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service on Stafford Park.
Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority, the body that governs the service, plans to invest in the region of £10 million into improvements including an extension and enhancements to redevelop the station at Telford Central – originally built in the 1970s.
The new station is the main response location for the communities of Telford and is set to include joint facilities for operational and management training as well as multi-agency emergency command facilities for Local Resilience Forums (LRF) supporting a network of partners including Police, ambulance, local authorities, the NHS and the Environment Agency in localised incidents. This approach is aimed at saving costs and building on existing operational relationships.
Chief Fire Officer Rod Hammerton said: “This is an investment into the county for the next 30 years and a community facility built to the highest environmental standards – a flagship construction for green technology.
“Careful planning taking on board feedback from our firefighters is ensuring the most cost-effective way of creating a welcoming place for the community, enabling our staff and Police to continue delivering a first-class service.”
Nearly 2,100 square metres of internal space will be reorganised to improve the functionality and operation of the building with a single and a two-storey extension. SFRS and McPhillips are also working together to identify ways in which this investment can support the wider community through employment and training opportunities, and other community benefits.
Chair of Shropshire and Wrekin Fire Authority and Councillor Eric Carter said: “We’re delighted to be working with local contractor McPhillips on this project.
“As Chair of the Fire Authority, we are determined to get the very best value for money for the public and build something the whole community can be proud of now and into the future.
“Funding has mainly come through reserves, achieved through long term prudent budgeting on behalf of the Fire Authority.”
McPhillips’ marketing manager, Mark Kiddie said; “The new Telford Central fire station is an exciting project for McPhillips and we’re really looking forward to working with Shropshire Fire & Rescue Service to provide this state-of-the-art community facility.
“As a Telford business we’re delighted to be working with a client that shares our vision for supporting the local economy and, as our base is less than five miles from the station, locally employed people will be working on the delivery of the project.”
The final design is based upon the most popular concept developed by multi-disciplinary design practice Entrust and chosen by Shropshire residents.
Completion is estimated to be late 2022 with the station remaining operational throughout the build process.
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