Fire station may become new flats

WITHINGTON fire station could be sold off and turned into homes.

The M.E.N. understands that developers have expressed an interest in the building.

There are already flats above the station on Wilmslow Road, which in the past have been used by firefighters, and one is used by local MP, Jeff Smith, for surgeries and as a constituency office.

House prices in the Anfield Road and Wilmslow Road areas near the station are £260,000 to £280,000 for a semi-detached house.

One fire service source said: “A development company made an on-site visit on Friday. The assumption is that the service are planning to close the station and turn the entire building into apartments.”

A second source within the service said: “If it did become fully residential in the existing flats made for firefighters, there is no way it could realistically remain as a fire station.”

As revealed in the M.E.N. last month, six fire stations across the region would close and the number of engines would be reduced by eight under plans by bosses to balance the books.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) must slash £7.3m from its budget this year.

Another proposal – strongly criticised by a union leader – is to reduce the number of firefighters riding on appliances from five to four.

If six stations do close they would be replaced with three new ones.

The M.E.N. understands Bolton North and Bolton Central stations could close, and a new one built to serve the town. Manchester Central on Thompson Street and Philips Park station could also close.

Chief fire officer Jim Wallace admitted last year that since 2015 the service ‘had not delivered its own efficiency plan’ which, in part, triggered Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to order a root and branch review.

But in a circular to firefighters sent last week, the Fire Brigade Union’s brigade secretary, Gary Keary, says: “Regrettably, it is apparent that the review included work to locate around £7.3m of possible savings to be implemented in the next financial year from our already decimated budget.”