Why have the costs of a fire station at Saughall Massie increased by a further estimated £134,000?

                                     

The costs of building the new controversial fire station in the greenbelt at Saughall Massie have increased by a further £134,000 due to two factors. The first reason for the increased costs according to a report to be considered by councillors on the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority’s Audit Committee are due to “required United Utilties manhole diversions” and the second reason is due to “changes to the tower foundation design”.

Due to its greenbelt location, the tower is required to be retracted when not in use.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority’s Community Safety and Protection Committee 5th February 2019

Councillors on Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority’s Community Safety and Protection Committee were told yesterday afternoon (see video above) by a Jackie Sutton that she expected that the Saughall Massie fire station will be completed by the end of the financial year (which ends at the end of March 2019).

Once the building is complete and operational it is expected that nearby Upton Fire Station will be closed and sold off. Nearby West Kirby Fire Station has been closed for many years.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority’s plan is that the new Saughall Massie Fire Station once operational will cover the areas formerly served by West Kirby Fire Station and Upton Fire Station.

The former Chief Fire Officer Dan Stephens before he left Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority to become Melbourne Fire Brigade Chief Officer expressed his concerns about the changes to design to Saughall Massie fire station. The changes to design were made after Wirral Council’s Planning Committee rejected the first planning application for a much larger fire station.

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