Have your say on new Community Fire Station

An artist's impression of Rochdale’s new Community Fire Station

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is holding a drop-in consultation session to allow Rochdale residents, local businesses and other interested parties to have their say on the plans for a new community fire station to be built at Halifax Road, Rochdale.

The session is being held at Heybrook Community Primary School, Park Road, off Halifax Road, Hamer, Rochdale between 3:30pm – 6:00pm tomorrow (Wednesday 9 February 2011).

The drop-in session is an opportunity to explore some of the issues, concerns and ideas that people may have around the fire station plans and for them to have their say about how, as a member of the local community, they might be affected

GMFRS project manager, building contractors and architects will be there to answer questions about the plans. Refreshments will be provided.

Fire Authority Chairman, Councillor Paul Shannon said: “I think it’s important that everyone in the community has the opportunity to hear about what is happening with the new community fire station and to have their say. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service are investing in this new community fire station, which will include facilities for the local community.”

The station will be specifically designed to be environmentally efficient and will be built to achieve an excellent Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) accreditation, which is a measure of a building’s carbon footprint and positive impact upon the environment.

Initiatives such as rainwater recycling systems to flush toilets and solar collectors to provide hot water for shower and washing, along with a recycling policy through the construction phase, will ensure best use of resources is made. Recycled and waste materials will be utilised wherever possible in the construction programme and waste materials from the site recycled.

The station will cover an area of 900 square metres and will include a room for use by GMFRS partners and community groups. The new fire station is strategically located to enable fire-fighters to continue to meet their response times.