Plan to demolish fire station moves a step closer

Conditional outline permission has been given to DPP One Limited to build on the Carlinghow Lane site.

No redundancies are expected when 44 staff from Batley and Dewsbury’s Huddersfield Road stations move to a brand new Carlton Road complex on August 24.

The move comes as fire service call-outs have declined during the past 10 years due to increased home safety checks which have been carried out by station staff.

Chairwoman of the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service Judith Hughes is confident that there will be sufficient cover for the area following the merger.

She said: “We wouldn’t have done it otherwise.

“It’s a low-risk area and we’ve been very successful with prevention.”

In July last year crews carried out 514 fire saftey checks at homes in Dewsbury and Batley ahead of the station merger.

Kirklees Council planners must approve further details before work starts at Carlinghow Lane. These include details about the scale, appearance, layout and landscaping.

They must also ensure that the units remain afforable for the initial and subsequent occupiers and present a timescale of completion.

A West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue spokeswomansaid the site is due to be put on the market in the near future.

The new fire station, being built by Wildgoose Construction, will contain ground floor offices and training and equipment rooms, as well as four large bays to keep two fire engines. The first floor will provide accommodation for the on-call staff.

The site at Carlton Road allows quick access onto Bradford Road (A652) and Halifax Road (A638) to Dewsbury and Batley and surrounding areas, including north Ossett.

A young firefighters suite will also be built alongside the new station, offering an on-site educational facility for youngsters in the area. It will have a classroom for up to 20 students and a garage space for a young firefighter vehicle as well as a kit store.

To view the Carlinghow Lane plans in full, visit www.kirklees.gov.uk