Assurances given on fire service following move

People in Herefordshire have been reassured that safety will not suffer when Hereford’s fire station is temporarily relocated in summer.

Planning permission has been granted and a contractor appointed to transform a warehouse in the Mortimer Trading Centre in the north of the city for the purpose, while the fire service’s current base in St Owen Street is knocked down and rebuilt.

“Although the fire station will be operating from a different site as from June, there will be no change regarding the type of services we deliver or the way in which we deliver them,” a Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said.

“The staffing levels and crewing will remain the same, as will the types of fire engines and equipment on station,” they added – rebutting rumours that a reduced service would be offered.

Local ward councillor Polly Andrews had originally raised concerns over the impact of the move on neighbouring Mortimer Road and Perseverance Road, which both give onto the main A49 through the city.

But she has now said that the fire service “have done their best to assuage any road anxieties, and in fact many residents of Mortimer Road feel that the immediate presence of the fire service will be very useful in the event of any further flooding”.

Approving the scheme in October, planning officer Ollie Jones explained that on-call fire engines will now exit westward along Perseverance Road and return via Mortimer Road to the south – which will “reduce the overall potential for conflicts”.

Contractors Speller Metcalfe are expected to start work on the site, to the rear of the plant hire business Boels, this week.

In June the current staff and vehicles will move across, and the existing fire station will be demolished.

Building of the new, more efficient and sustainable building, with staff accommodation, is then expected to take until early 2027.