New fire station in Hereford approved
Hereford is to get a new fire station on the site of the current 1950s building on St Owen Street.
In it's application that was submitted last October, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service said "the existing fire station is no longer fit for purpose, uneconomic to operate and poor in its environmental performance.”
All external buildings are to be demolished and replaced with a new building of a broadly similar footprint, with four double bays for fire engines, a training tower, car parking and vehicle charging points.
The building’s design aims to maximise natural daylight with floor-to-ceiling glazing, to be energy-efficient and air-tight, to use durable, environmentally friendly, natural or recyclable materials “wherever practical”, to use off-site or modular construction, and to incorporate sustainable drainage to minimise water run-off.
Hereford City Council, which shares the same street, said while it did not object to the plan, it had “reservations regarding the retention of the building itself, as it posed a unique example of the city’s 1950s architecture”.
However the Government’s built heritage agency Historic England said that although well-built, the current building “lacks the degree of special architectural interest” to justify being listed.
Herefordshire Council’s planning officer Ollie Jones concluded that the new design, by architects Bond Bryan, would “introduce increased bulk and massing” to the street.
However it would “not result in any discernible harm to the setting of the nearby conservation area or heritage assets, and would contribute positively to the street scene and wider character of this area of Hereford”, he said.
Among conditions attached to the approval are a requirement to provide details of all noise-generating equipment, an archaeological survey, and a travel plan “to promote alternative sustainable means of transport for staff and visitors”.