By HELEN COMPSON helen.compson@hexham-courant.co.uk

Last updated at 14:36, Thursday, 10 December 2009

BRAND new fire stations are to be built in Prudhoe and Haltwhistle at a total cost of £5million.

The news comes just weeks after planning permission was granted to build a new multi-million pound fire station in Hexham, too.

The Department for Communities and Local Government has already ring-fenced the money for all three projects in the form of Private Finance Initiative credits.

Chief fire officer and head of community safety for Northumberland County Council, Brian Hesler said the new tranche of investment was good news indeed for Tynedale.

“The existing fire stations in Prudhoe and Haltwhistle were built during the 1950s and 60s – they are relatively old now and expensive to maintain.

“They will be replaced with new buildings that are environmentally friendly and better suited to modern, community use.”

It was early days and a three-month public consultation had yet to take place, but all of the main components were in place.

New sites within the curtilage of each town had been identified, the designs for each of the stations were being finalised, and the proposals were about to be submitted for outline planning permission.

“The extra good news is that it is Government money,” said Mr Hesler.

“And thanks to the fact they are private finance initiatives, we will end up getting high quality buildings for a good price.”

Two laws that entered the statute books in 2004 – the Fire and Rescue Act and the Civic Contingencies Act – revolutionised the way the fire service operates.

It now plays a more proactive role, running training courses designed to improve safety and prevent accidents.

Fire stations today are increasingly becoming a hub for the local community, and often offer house room to community organisations.

The designs for Prudhoe, Haltwhistle and Hexham are all being drawn up with that in mind.

The building work is due to begin at Hexham in the next 12-15 months, with an opening date scheduled for mid-2013.

The latest developments are part of an £80 million-plus package to replace 11 fire stations to date across the region.

Executive member for community safety at Northumberland County Council, Coun. Ian Lindley, said: “The new fire stations in Haltwhistle and Prudhoe can only help us in our efforts to make Northumberland a safer place to live, work and visit.

“Organisations working with community groups in each area will also reap the rewards as they will be able to use the fire stations’ facilities for meetings, training and safety education programmes.”

He encouraged members of the public in Prudhoe and Haltwhistle to take the opportunity to express their views.

The public consultation will be launched in a fortnight’s time.

It will run until March 23 and include an exhibition of the plans in each town.

The first one will take place in Haltwhistle Fire Station, Park Road, on Wednesday, December 9.

The exhibition in Prudhoe Fire Station, on Front Street, will take place on Monday, December 14.

Both events will run from 3.30pm to 7.30pm.

First published at 09:40, Friday, 04 December 2009
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk