CAMBOURNE is to get a �1.1million fire station and training building after planners granted permission for the development. South Cambridgeshire District Council last month approved plans for a station to be built in Back Lane. Construction is expected

CAMBOURNE is to get a �1.1million fire station and training building after planners granted permission for the development.

South Cambridgeshire District Council last month approved plans for a station to be built in Back Lane.

Construction is expected to start in August, with a completion date of June next year.

But the station will initially be missing one vital piece of equipment...a fire engine.

Instead of housing a fire engine, the station will be used for training and as a base for community safety teams to provide fire prevention advice.

It will also be available for use by schools, community groups and partner agencies to promote and support public safety.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said it needed to build the station soon to ensure the release of hundreds of thousands of pounds in funding.

The land for the station is being given free of charge by the village' developers and work will attract �588,000 of community contributions. This will leave the fire service to pick up a bill of �512,000.

The planning documents state there will be a garage for one fire appliance and room on site for 20 firefighters and a training tower.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said the situation will be monitored and an engine will be provided if needed.

Chris Strickland, deputy chief fire officer said: "We are please to have been granted planning permission to build a new community fire station at Cambourne.

"At present, the amount of incidents in Cambourne is relatively low and it would not make economic sense to locate an operational fire engine there, when Papworth (which has a lot more incidents) is close by.

"As Cambourne grows the risk profile for the area will inevitably change and become a greater risk than Papworth. We will then look to move the fire engine from Papworth to Cambourne.