Work starts on Wakefield’s £2.9million fire station

The £2.9 million project will see a smaller but more modern station to replace the ageing facility on Brunswick Street.

A ceremony was held at the station on Friday to mark the beginning of the construction.

Deputy Chief for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Dave Walton said: “The facilities at the station are tired and it’s difficult to maintain.

“This is an investment in the future and in the heart of Wakefield.

“It will be a smaller site because we have a smaller crew than when the original fire station was built, but there will be no change in the level of cover we have here.

“It’s quite a challenging task beacause we will continue to operate from the station while it it’s being demolished and rebuilt.”

Wakefield’s new mayor, Coun Charlie Keith, was at the turf-cutting ceremony on Friday, which happened to be on the second anniversary of London’s Grenfell disaster in which 72 people died in a tower block fire.

He said: “It’s significant because of the anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire and it goes to show how much we need a fire service that is equipped for the future.”

Tracey Austin, vice chairman of the Fire Authority added: “It’s great to see this building finally being replace with a more modern facility.

“It will no doubt be better for the firefighters and better for the community.”

It is hoped that the new station will be completed by August next year.