Saughall Massie residents express their opposition to fire station plans at first consultation meeting

Saughall Massie residents express their opposition to fire station plans at first consultation meeting

Saughall Massie residents express their opposition to fire station plans at first consultation meeting

Dan Stephens (Chief Fire Officer) answers questions at a public consultation meeting in Saughall Massie to discuss proposals for a new fire station (20th April 2015)
Dan Stephens (Chief Fire Officer) answers questions at a public consultation meeting in Saughall Massie to discuss proposals for a new fire station (20th April 2015)

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Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service consultation meeting Saughall Massie 20th April 2015 Part 1 of 4

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Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service consultation meeting Saughall Massie 20th April 2015 Part 2 of 4

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Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service consultation meeting Saughall Massie 20th April 2015 Part 3 of 4

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Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service consultation meeting Saughall Massie 20th April 2015 Part 4 of 4

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Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service consultation meeting Saughall Massie 20th April 2015 Playlist of all parts 1-4

A consultation meeting in Saughall Massie to hear from the public on a proposed new fire station in Saughall Massie Road started badly when over a hundred people who came to the meeting were turned away from the St Marys Centre because the meeting was full. Despite repeated requests at the start of the meeting by a local councillor for a further meeting in Saughall Massie, Dan Stephens (Chief Fire Officer) refused to commit himself to a further public meeting however did say it was something he would “carefully consider”.

The Chief Fire Officer explained that if Upton and West Kirby fire stations were closed, then in his view (although people didn’t have to agree with him) a new fire station would be needed near the midpoint of the two existing fire stations. If a new fire station wasn’t built in Saughall Massie and only West Kirby fire station was closed, then it would lead to an increase in response times to the former West Kirby station area. He made it clear that after the consultation was finished the final decision on what happens next would be taken by the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority, who would have to consider public safety and response times. The views expressed at the public consultation meetings would be reported back to the Fire Authority.

The first person who asked a question felt that gridlock in the roads around Saughall Massie at certain times and narrow roads would lead to an increase in response times if a new fire station was built in Saughall Massie. The Chief Fire Officer responded that he felt the traffic conditions “were no worse than they are anywhere else on Merseyside”.

Continuing with his question the same person pointed out that twice a day the road from Saughall Massie to West Kirby was blocked by cattle being moved between fields. He suggested that they look for brownfield sites instead.

The Chief Fire Officer explained that they didn’t have compulsory purchase powers and that as they’d already been through a consultation on Greasby that the matters needed to be resolved. He said that if West Kirby fire station was closed and Upton kept open, then the fire engines (from Upton) would need to travel down the same roads to the West Kirby area.

Another member of the public pointed out that the number of incidents responded to by the fire service was falling year on year. She asked if Upton fire station could be used for less callouts?

Dan Stephens replied that it wasn’t the number of incidents that was important but the type of the incident. There were 26,000 people living in the West Kirby station area, therefore “it’s an absolute certainty we will have another domestic property fire”. In his view it didn’t matter that the total number of incidents were going down, but as long as people lived there, there would be incidents. He said, “It’s about run times, not numbers of incidents.”

The next person to ask a question pointed out that the map showing response times of Saughall Massie versus Upton showed that from Upton, an over 10 minute response time would be mainly to fields and a golf course. Replying to his point, the Chief Fire Officer said that there was still a good proportion that was an 8 to 9 minute response time compared to only 6 to 7 minutes from Saughall Massie.

A resident of Saughall Massie said that she wasn’t in agreement with a new fire station in Saughall Massie and that “if you feel that that’s the best place you have to prove it to everybody”. Dan Stephens replied that they couldn’t afford two fire stations, but could only have one. That one fire station would have to be in the middle.

The next question was from the secretary of the Saughall Massie Conservation Area Society. He said he was not going to talk about conservation or greenbelt, but response. His question was if BRVs (brigade response vehicles) would be considered? The Chief Fire Officer explained that the brigade response vehicles weren’t of much use in responding to a domestic property fire or a road traffic collision. He pointed out that West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority could afford BRVs, but Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority couldn’t. BRVs were for antisocial small fires, but would have to be manned by three extra people that they couldn’t afford.

A further question asked was why couldn’t the council tax that pays for the fire service on Merseyside be increased by £5? The answer given was that to do that would require a referendum which would cost an estimated £2 million.

The Chief Fire Officer was then asked if he would consider other options such as BRVs? He said he would not consider them as they “give me absolutely nothing in terms of operational response” and that he would be “paying for an asset that gave me absolutely nothing”.

The next woman referred to a petition about the closure of West Kirby fire station and speculation about plans for a multi-storey shopping centre there. Dan Stephens said that there had been no consideration of the disposal of the site at West Kirby because no decision had yet been made to close it. The same woman referred to the “Greater Concourse plan”. David Armstrong (Assistant Chief Executive, Wirral Council) said that “there are no current plans for anything at the West Kirby site”.

You can watch what was asked in the rest of the meeting on Youtube. Details of how to respond to the consultation are here. The consultation closes on the 18th May 2015.

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Public consultation meeting in Saughall Massie on proposed new fire station

Public consultation meeting in Saughall Massie on proposed new fire station

Public consultation meeting in Saughall Massie on proposed new fire station

                                                   

Dan Stephens Chief Fire Officer, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service at Greasby Methodist Church Hall, Greasby Road, Greasby on 10th November 2014 for consultation meeting on closure of Upton and West Kirby fire stations and merger at Greasby
Dan Stephens Chief Fire Officer, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service at Greasby Methodist Church Hall, Greasby Road, Greasby last year for a consultation meeting on the proposed closure of Upton and West Kirby fire stations

Tonight, the first of three public meetings will be held (starting at 6.30pm at the St Mary’s Centre, 127 Saughall Massie Road, CH49 4LA) to consult with the public on options which include building a new fire station in Saughall Massie (if Upton Fire Station & West Kirby Fire Station close). Another option being consulted on is the closure of West Kirby Fire Station and keeping Upton Fire Station open.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service have produced an eighteen page consultation document which details their reasons for the consultation. There is also an online questionnaire as part of the consultation and you can email consultation2@merseyfire.gov.uk with your views or write to Wirral Consultation, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, Bridle Road, Bootle, L30 4YD.

The twelve week consultation ends on the 18th May 2015 and there will be two further public meetings in addition to the one tonight in Saughall Massie.

Tuesday, 28th April, at Holy Cross Church community rooms, by Holy Cross Church, Woodchurch, CH49 7LS, starting at 6.30pm.

Tuesday, 5th May, at Hoylake Community Centre, The Parade, Hoyle Road, Hoylake, CH47 3AG, starting at 6.30pm.

A transcript of the reasons given by the Chief Fire Officer for the consultation at the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority meeting on the 29th January can be read here.

You may also be interested in Saughall Massie residents express their opposition to fire station plans at first consultation meeting which includes video of the meeting.

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Cllr Jean Stapleton tells Conservatives to "get their priorities right for humanity's sake" on fire station merger

Cllr Jean Stapleton tells Conservatives to “get their priorities right for humanity’s sake” on fire station merger

Cllr Jean Stapleton tells Conservatives to “get their priorities right for humanity’s sake” on fire station merger

                                                          

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Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority meeting of 29th January 2015 (agenda item 5 West Wirral Operational Response Considerations (Post Consultation))

Councillor Jean Stapleton speaking at the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority meeting of 29th January 2015 about opposition to a proposed fire station at Saughall Massie
Councillor Jean Stapleton speaking at the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority meeting of 29th January 2015 about opposition to a proposed fire station at Saughall Massie

Continues from Cllr Lesley Rennie refers to proposed Saughall Massie fire station site in green belt as “a piece of scrappy land”.

CLLR JEAN STAPLETON (Lead Member for Finance, Assets and Efficiencies) representing Wirral Council: I would definitely go with the Chief’s recommendation and I concur with Councillor Rennie but I would suggest also Lesley you might have a word with your colleagues in West Wirral because there’s an opportunity for them here to show some political leadership in the community to help them, I hate to say but get their priorities right for humanity’s sake!
Continue reading “Cllr Jean Stapleton tells Conservatives to "get their priorities right for humanity's sake" on fire station merger”

Cllr Lesley Rennie refers to proposed Saughall Massie fire station site in green belt as "a piece of scrappy land"

Cllr Lesley Rennie refers to proposed Saughall Massie fire station site in green belt as “a piece of scrappy land”

Cllr Lesley Rennie refers to proposed Saughall Massie fire station site in green belt as “a piece of scrappy land”

                                          

Cllr Lesley Rennie speaking at a public meeting of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority 29th January 2015 on a consultation on closure of Upton and West Kirby fire stations and a new fire station at Saughall Massie
Cllr Lesley Rennie speaking at a public meeting of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority 29th January 2015 on a consultation on closure of Upton and West Kirby fire stations and a new fire station at Saughall Massie

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Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority meeting 29th January 2014 Part 2 of 2 starting at what councillors said on agenda item 5 (West Wirral Operational Response Considerations (Post Consultation))

This transcript continues from Councillors agree 12 week consultation on new £1.95 million Saughall Massie fire station to replace Upton and West Kirby. The reports for this agenda item are on the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority website.

DAN STEPHENS (Chief Fire Officer, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service): I’ll pause at that point and take questions.

Continue reading “Cllr Lesley Rennie refers to proposed Saughall Massie fire station site in green belt as "a piece of scrappy land"”

Marvin the Martian returns to discuss 2 local political issues: the Greasby Fire Station saga and the King Street buildings collapse

Marvin the Martian returns to discuss 2 local political issues: the Greasby Fire Station saga and the King Street buildings collapse

Marvin the Martian returns to discuss 2 local political issues: the Greasby Fire Station saga and the King Street buildings collapse

                                                  

Marvin the Martian from Disney's Looney Tunes
Marvin the Martian from Disney’s Looney Tunes

The below is a fictional interview with Marvin the Martian about two issues Greasby Fire Station and the King Street building collapse. Marvin the Martian is trademarked to Warner Brothers Entertainment. Our legal team point out their trademark doesn’t actually cover its use on blogs but in case they try to argue this blog is an “entertainment service”, it isn’t, so no laughing! Yes I mean it, not even a smile! We also point out it’s not an infringing use of class 9 of this trademark as that refers to its use on goods rather than virtually.

We rely on s.30 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and class this as “fair dealing” due to the acknowledgement above. As the The Copyright and Rights in Performances (Quotation and Parody) Regulations 2014 have come into force earlier this year, we’ll rely on this too and the new section 30A on parody.

JOHN BRACE: Thanks once again for agreeing to be interviewed about Greasby & the proposed fire station as well as the King Street building collapse. We couldn’t get straight answers on these issues out of anyone else.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: You’re welcome. I live on Mars, but having read your press reports on this I’m confused. Perhaps you could help just briefly explain to your readers what’s happened so far in Greasby?

JOHN BRACE: Well Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority decided to consult on closing two fire stations at West Kirby and Upton and building a new one, their preferred site was Greasby.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: OK, I’ve got that bit. So who owned the Greasby site?

JOHN BRACE: Wirral Council own it.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: So it’s just a cleared site, with nothing on it and has been declared surplus to requirements?

JOHN BRACE: No, it’s got a library and community centre on it already as well as some green space.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: And there are four Wirral Council councillors on the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority?

JOHN BRACE: Yes.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: And the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service stated Wirral Council offered them a lease of the site (subject to planning permission/outcome of their consultation)?

JOHN BRACE: Yes.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: But Wirral Council stated that they didn’t offer the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (or Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority) the site to build a fire station on (subject to planning permission and the outcome of the consultation)?

JOHN BRACE: Yes.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: Ahh so Greasby fire station is like Schrödinger’s cat, it was both offered and not offered to the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service/Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority at the same time?

JOHN BRACE: According to MFRS/MFRA & Wirral Council yes.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: So did someone actually open the box and see if the “cat” was dead or alive?

JOHN BRACE: Some councillors tried to at last night’s Council meeting. The box was opened and it was (from last night’s meeting) a policy decision was formally made not to offer the Greasby site to Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service/Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: So before that was the Greasby fire station dead or alive?

JOHN BRACE: Like the mysteries of quantum physics the answer to that depends on who you ask and when.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: Ahhh, it makes no sense at all!

JOHN BRACE: This is Wirral Council. It’s not meant to make sense.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: So let’s move on to something the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service were involved in, the aftermath of the buildings collapsing in King Street one evening. Who were then owned by?

JOHN BRACE: Wirral Council.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: OK, so why did they fall down?

JOHN BRACE: The “official” version is after they checked the rubble, is that there had been a bodged repair before Wirral Council bought them.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: So did Wirral Council have a survey done before they bought these properties?

JOHN BRACE: Who knows?

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: So did Wirral Council have a survey done after they bought them?

JOHN BRACE: Well once they collapsed and the rubble was surveyed yes.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: No, I mean after they bought them but before they collapsed!?

JOHN BRACE: Oh again, who knows? Although the collapse is being spun as a positive.

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: Why?

JOHN BRACE: Well as the buildings were in such a bad state of repair, they’d probably have had to be pulled down or expensively repaired. As they collapsed on their own it saves Wirral Council on some of the costs of demolition or repairs!

MARVIN THE MARTIAN: Your Wirral Council politicians are just as keen to put a positive gloss on disasters as our Martian ones are!!!

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