Fire service unveils plan for new training facility in Sawtry
HEADQUARTERS: Huntingdonshire District Council's Pathfinder House - Credit: Archant
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has submitted plans for a new training facility near Sawtry.
The service is proposing to make use of land in Monks Wood Road, which is currently home to a training centre for Cambridgeshire police.
The facility, which is owned by the police, has about 1.2 acres of land that is unused and the fire service has applied to Huntingdonshire District Council to house admin facilities, a training building, equipment store, a drill tower, an animal rescue area, and a fire training ‘villa’ made up of several shipping containers that will be used to simulate rescue operations.
There will also be a central drill yard, around which the additional buildings will be located.
In its application, the service noted: “The submission of this application reflects the importance of securing new fire training facilities for the fire service on a single site.
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“The operational efficiency and effectiveness of consolidating such training facilities on a single site at Monks Wood forms part of a logical strategy and fulfilling one of the main priorities of the fire and rescue service.”
The fire service had previously proposed to build a new headquarters and training facility at a site in Percy Road, Huntingdon, but, it says, the proposed facility in Sawtry would be better suited to its needs.
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At present the service headquarters are located in Brampton Road, Huntingdon.
In its application, it noted: “The site area potentially available on this site for the fire and rescue service use is a lot greater than the planned combined HQ and training facility at Percy Road, Huntingdon, and which was the subject of a separate pre application enquiry.
“This means that a fuller and more varied range of fire scenarios can be practised in a contained and secluded site without having an impact on the surrounding woodland which will obviously serve to screen the facility from any viewpoints around the Monks Wood site.”
To view the plans, or to have a say, log on to www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk.
