Fire station faces closure

Date published: 11 January 2008

Rochdale Fire Station faces closure as a direct consequence of being included in a conservation area, a move made by the council with the intention of protecting the historic building. The station, including the fire service museum, was due to undergo extensive refurbishment at a cost of £1 million, however, with costs having doubled to £2 million and with over £150,000 needed to be spent to repair the 'structurally unsound' tower, fire chiefs have said this week they will have to seek new premises.

Tim Cheshire, Greater Manchester Fire Authority's estates manager stunned councillors on Rochdale Township when he explained that closure of the station would mean the loss not only of the museum but also up to 80 jobs.

Questioned by councillors as to why the fire service had not alerted the council to this before the conservation area was created in December 2006, Mr Cheshire revealed the fire service had written a letter of objection to the council conservation officer. Councillors were "very surprised" to hear that council officers had apparently kept them in the dark about the serious concerns of the fire service with Township Chairman Councillor Elwyn Watkins saying he was "very suspicious about the facts given to the committee" and said it was "inappropriate for us to be handed this information at the eleventh hour".

Council planning officer Paul Ambrose confirmed to councillors that a letter of objection had been received from the fire service but said that maintaining a building inside a conservation area should not prevent an order being made.

It also transpires that the fire service objections were summarised in a report to the Township Committee before they took the decision to save the fire service tower from demolition by creating the conservation area.