As you will now be aware, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) are selling Preston Circus
Fire Station. It is their plan to build a new station at an as-yet unknown site in the city.
The reasons given for the sale are that the station is old, 'not fit for purpose', and that
Brighton requires a modern 'community' fire station.
We, the firefighters based at Preston Circus, strongly disagree with these claims.
In our opinion, building a new station is an expensive waste of your money.
We believe that Preston Circus Fire Station is highly functional and continues to serve the people of Brighton with
the same level of efficiency it has always done since its construction in 1937.
We see no reason why a change of location to a modern soulless building is necessary.
Our station is a legacy to the men and women who have tirelessly served this city from within its walls for the past
seventy years. We are proud to work in such a fine building and believe the construction of a new station will be a
costly mistake.
Below we have addressed some of the issues concerning the sale of the station that we are most concerned with.
- A new station will cost £4 million to build. At a time of recession, can such massive spending be justified when Brighton already has a perfectly good fire station? Even after the sale of Preston Circus there will still be a £1.5million deficit. ESFRS intend to obtain this money from the sale of brigade housing. We believe this to be very short-sighted as these properties provide affordable housing to firefighters in certain areas of the county. Projects of this nature are notorious for going massively over budget, with the tax payer potentially covering the costs.
- In recent years close to ONE MILLION pounds has been spent maintaining standards at Preston Circus. This includes electrically operated bay doors, new roof, new boiler, new fire alarm, emergency generator, re-pointing of the brick work, asbestos removal, new double glazed windows throughout and a complete re-wiring of the station. All of these jobs were carried out as long-term projects designed to extend the life of the building for many years. If the station were to move, we believe much of these works will have been a waste of tax-payer's money.
- Brighton already has a community fire station. We are situated in the centre of an extremely diverse and multi-cultural part of the city. We have contact with people from all walks of life on a daily basis. The station is regularly visited by local schools, youth groups and young people taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme to name but a few. This site also benefits from having a completely vacant top floor, that could be used for a wide range of community projects. However, all the proposed ideas put forward by both firefighters and the general public for such uses have been rejected by senior management. We believe one of the main reasons for this is so ESFRS can progress with their argument that the station is 'not fit for purpose'.
- Preston Circus is perfectly located in the heart of Brighton. It is built on the junction of five major roads leading in and out of the city and allows us quick and easy access to all parts. If the new station is situated in the wrong location it could seriously increase the time it takes us to reach certain areas of the city, potentially endangering people's lives. Conversely if the new site is in close proximity of the current station, how can ESFRS justify the project?
- Preston Circus is part of Brighton's heritage It is an amazing building, and losing it would be a real loss to the city's proud history.
We recognise that some modernisation needs to take place at the station. For example, there is only limited disabled access at present. However we believe it will be far more economical to carry out these relatively small tasks rather than embark on an expensive relocation project.
If you are as concerned about the sale of Preston Circus Fire Station
as we are, then we urge you use the link below and send an e-mail to:
Councillor Ted Kemble, the chair of the Fire Authority for ESFRS, making him aware
of your worries. We will send a copy of the e-mail to the
ESFRS.
If you feel compelled to
write your own personal letter to any/all of the above we believe this would carry even more weight.
In addition, please visit
www.writetothem.com and send a copy of this email to your local MP.
Our letter to Ted Kemble
Dear Sir
I am writing to voice my concerns regarding the proposed
sale of Preston Circus Fire Station. In the current economic climate, with proposed
cuts to the public sector, it is irresponsible to spend £4 million on a new fire
station. Considering the money already spent renovating Preston Circus to its current high standard, combined with its perfect location in the city, I believe it would be both short-sighted and uneconomical to seek a change of location.
I urge you to scrap the proposal and for East Sussex Fire Authority to choose to maintain Preston Circus as Brighton's fire station.
I urge you to scrap the proposal and for East Sussex
Fire Authority to choose to maintain Preston Circus as Brighton's fire station.
Send email - (Please add your name and address to the bottom of the email)
.
You can also sign our No.10 Downing Street e-petition by clicking here:
Sign our petition
