Aston Martin site perfect location for new fire station

Work on a new fire station located on the Aston Martin site at Banbury Road, Gaydon has begun.

The new station, which will have excellent access to the B4100 and the M40 junction, is expected to be completed later this month. As well as supporting the community of Gaydon, the station's access to the road networks will ensure that support can also be provided to the south of the county. 

The new station will be 'peak demand', which means that firefighters will be on station from 7am to 7pm. It will be home to one fire engine and 12 firefighters, who will further enhance and support the Service’s response model.

The station is being built by the appointed contractors, Keirs, with full support from Aston Martin and JLR who are working in partnership with the Service to ensure they are able to make the best use of the site. The new build will cost £760,000 and has been funded through Department for Communities and Local Government transformation grant funding. 

The new station will provide crews with a great location from which to deal with road traffic collisions on the M40 and incidents in and around the south of the county. It will also provide them with a great base to carry out more risk-reduction work, which will help to keep Warwickshire communities safer.

Talking about the new station, Chief Fire Officer Andy Hickmott said: "We are delighted that the new build is underway. The location is great for access to the south of the county and the pilot for a Gaydon response-point has proved a real success, so we know it will improve our resilience, increase community safety and ensure that we have the right cover for when we need it the most.”

Warwickshire County Council Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, Councillor John Horner said: “A new station is great news for the community of Warwickshire. It has been built to meet the current needs of the population and to enhance our response in the south of the county.

"As a public service we have a duty to provide the best possible service to protect the communities of Warwickshire and I believe that this new station will help us to achieve that.”

Councillor Matt Western, Chair of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee added: “I am really pleased that the work on the new station is now underway. It will be a great asset to the communities of Warwickshire and will further enhance our response to incidents in and around the M40 area and our community fire safety work within local communities.”

For more information on Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service log ontowww.warwickshire.gov.uk/fireandrescue