Funding confirmed for new fire 
stations in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire County Council has received final confirmation of government funding for the building of four new community fire stations and a Life Skills Centre.
The government reviewed all Private Finance Initiative (PFI) bids as part of its Spending Review in October and after Gloucestershire learned that its waste PFI bid had fallen through there were doubts over the certainty of the fire cash.
However, the government has now confirmed that it will provide £40m to support the funding of the project.
Fire stations will be built at three new locations; with stations at Cheltenham Road East, Churchdown and Shepherd Road, Tuffley replacing the current Gloucester fire station at Eastern Avenue.
In Cheltenham, a new station will be built at Uckington while the current station in Keynsham Road will be demolished and rebuilt at that location.
Building the new stations will help Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service respond quicker to incidents.
There are currently areas of Cheltenham and Gloucester where the fire service can’t get to life-threatening incidents within eight minutes. Life-threatening incidents are more often road traffic collisions than fires.
A new Community Life Skills Centre will be based at Shepherd Road and will be used by schoolchildren, groups, communities and organisations from across Gloucestershire.
The Community Life Skills Centre will provide a wide range of practical risk scenarios including road, rail, fire, electrical and water safety as well as other dangers in the home, including slips, trips, accidental poisoning and internet safety. It will also focus on teaching young people about social responsibility and respect.
Contracts will be signed with the contractor, Blue 3 over the next couple of weeks. Cheltenham-based Kier Moss Construction is part of the Blue 3 group. 
The construction programme will start next month with the Shepherd Road site being the first to get underway.
Staff from the current Cheltenham Fire Station on Keynsham Road will move to a temporary site at Kingsditch Road from mid-March to allow for demolition.
Jon Hall, Chief Fire Officer, said: “With confirmation of Government’s support for Gloucestershire, we are delighted to now be able to start this project.
“The county will be well served by the four new stations which will mean that we can get to those that need our help faster and provide more effective safety education.”
Cllr Will Windsor-Clive, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said: “I appreciate that some people are questioning the investment into new fire stations during these difficult financial times, but the bottom line is that they will better help us serve and protect the people of Gloucestershire and that’s our priority.
“I am glad the government has now confirmed the funding and I’m looking forward to seeing the new stations take shape.” 
ENDS
Notes to Editors
It will cost just £3.8million more over 25 years to build four new community fire stations and a community life skills centre, compared to the costs of demolishing and rebuilding the two old fire stations in Cheltenham and Gloucester, which are no longer fit for purpose.
It will cost Gloucestershire council taxpayers £17.7m to demolish, rebuild, maintain and run the existing stations in Cheltenham and Gloucester over the next 25 years. 
Due to financial support from Government, the cost to the county’s taxpayers to build the four new stations and life skills centre - including repair, maintenance and running costs over the next 25 years - will be £21.5million.