PEOPLE are being urged to have their say on the planned demolition and rebuilding of Chester Fire Station.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is holding a consultation ahead of submitting proposals to the council’s planning department.

A spokesman said: “The fire station, sited on St Anne Street, is no longer considered fit for purpose and is costly to maintain in its current state.

“The work is considered essential in order to meet the requirements of modern day standards in a number of areas, including disability access, energy costs and current space usage.”

Chester and District Standard:

An artist's impression of Chester's proposed new fire station.

Bosses say that anticipated benefits include:

• Modern training facilities, which will help firefighters get even better at keeping communities safe.

• The new layout and design will improve accessibility for all.

• Energy costs and carbon footprint will be reduced, helping the environment.

• Maintenance costs will be reduced, with a more effective and efficient building and use of space.

The spokesman added: “A temporary, fully working fire station will be in place for the duration of the rebuilding project. This will ensure that the current service levels are maintained throughout the construction.

“If the plans are approved, work on the site could begin in January 2019 and it is thought would take around 15 months to complete.

“We would love to hear your thoughts on the project ahead of submitting the plans to Cheshire West & Chester Council’s planning department in August.”

A consultation engagement event will be held on Northgate Street tomorrow (Friday, August 3) from 10am until 2pm.

Alternatively people can provide your feedback by filling out a short survey at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/plans-for-chester-fire-station

Cheshire Fire Authority said last year that the cost of the new station will be ‘more than £5 million’ and it will cover ‘a smaller footprint, without losing any necessary facilities’.

The funding for the new building will come from a combination of reserves, borrowing and revenue from the sale of the land.

There had been plans to build student accommodation at the rear of a smaller fire station on the St Anne Street site but they fell through.

Chester and District Standard:

The current fire station opened 47 years ago and is deemed 'not fit for purpose'.

Chief fire officer Paul Hancock said at the time: “I can reassure residents and business owners in Chester that this project will not affect our emergency response in the Chester area.

“There will be no interruption to fire cover as our crews will continue to operate from a temporary fire station on the current site during the construction period.”

However, a group of former firefighters have raised grave concerns about cuts to the city's fire service.

They said they “dreaded the consequences” of the decision to remove one of the city's two fire engines from the St Anne Street station.

The vehicle was transferred to the new station on Powey Lane in Mollington, which opened in January with the aim of providing quicker access to incidents on the nearby motorways.