Nancy Platts

Plans to close Preston Circus Fire Station in Brighton and open a new one at an unnamed location have caused concern amongst firefighters who have approached local politicians for support and have launched a website to save the fire station.

The cost of a new fire station is believed to be in the region of £4m.  The money is to be raised from the sale of the existing fire station and homes provided for firefighters, who couldn’t otherwise afford to live near fire stations that provide fire cover for other parts of East Sussex.

It is known that the ESFRS (East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service) have tried unsuccessfully in the past to sell the fire station.  Given the recession and surplus of hard-to-sell property in the London Road area, it is likely that ESFRS may need to look for alternative sources of funding for the new station rather than wait for the sale of the old one, but at a time when the service is facing 10% cuts, it is not clear where the money will come from.

Nancy Platts, Labour parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion, said:
“The economics of this just don’t stack up. ESFRS have spent nearly £1m on refurbishing the existing station and now, when public spending is tight, they want to use valuable resources to move to a new station.  If there is spare cash, it should be spent on more firefighters and equipment to better serve the residents of Brighton.”

Steve Liszka, firefighter and Union rep, said,
“The current location serves the local population well because when we are responding to an emergency, we have control of the traffic lights at Preston Circus.  We can easily head in any one of five directions to get to all parts of the city.  The site of the new station is shrouded in secrecy, although local rumours suggest it could be built in New England Street. If this is the case, why are we bothering to move such a short distance? Another reason cited for the relocation is that Brighton needs a community fire station. I find this claim to be rather strange as at Preston Circus we already work very closely with the local community, receiving regular visits from schools, youth and disabled groups."

David Lepper, Labour MP for Brighton Pavilion said,
“The fact that the former Co-op and Woolworth stores remain empty suggests that this might not be the best time for the Fire Authority – or anyone else for that matter - to put a major asset on the market. I am not aware of any public discussion about the proposal since the beginning of the year, though it will obviously be a matter of public interest for people living, working and owning businesses in central Brighton, and in particular residents living near the Station and the chosen new location.  It’s that wider public discussion that I’m calling for.”

For more information view: 
www.savebrightonfirestation.com