Firefighters, construction team members and other invited guests gathered to celebrate the next chapter in the building of the new Cosham Fire Station in Portsmouth yesterday (February 7).
A ground-breaking ceremony was held to mark the start of the building phase, with the three-storey station due for completion next year.
The new station will have improved training facilities, separate clean and dirty zones for managing contamination, plus space for partners.
The existing Cosham Fire Station, in Wayte Street, will remain operational throughout the build, with crews due to move to the new facility, in nearby Northern Road, in summer 2024.
Arron Hedges, Head of Properties and Facilities at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service, said:
“Our fire and rescue service is committed to providing stations with modern and inclusive facilities for the benefit of our colleagues and the communities we’re so proud to serve.
“The new Cosham Fire Station will meet our estate design principles and it’s exciting to mark this next stage and look back on all the work that has gone on so far to get us to this point.
“The rebuild of Cosham Fire Station is part of our wider estates improvement programme, with upgrades planned at more stations across Hampshire and Isle of Wight and a brand new fire station at Bishop’s Waltham due to become operational next month.”
Clifford Kinch, area director of Morgan Sindall Construction, said:
“We’re really proud to start work on the new modernised Cosham Fire Station which will incorporate a new training tower and training facilities.
“The project meets the evolving needs of the fire authority by offering state-of-the-art training and operational facilities which will help optimise their vital day-to-day operations.
“It’s a pleasure to once again work closely with Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Services under the Southern Construction Framework to deliver the new building and, as with all Morgan Sindall Construction projects, we’ll be collaborating with local residents and community groups to deliver a positive social and economic legacy for the area which will be tailored to their needs.”
Cllr Rhydian Vaughan MBE, Chairman of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority, said:
“Our teams have worked incredibly hard to reach this exciting phase of the programme, the beginning of construction for the brand new, state-of-the-art Cosham Fire Station.
“Our firefighters will benefit from the better working and training facilities that will be on offer here, as well as providing more space for our teams’ community engagement work.
“This work is just one element of our service-wide estate programme, with more exciting improvements planned across our Hampshire and Isle of Wight fire stations.”
