2 October 2012
In a newsletter delivered in Witham, the Green Party asked residents if they supported keeping Witham Fire Station on its current Hatfield Road site.
71 people responded, with 70 saying yes, they wanted the Fire Station to stay where it is and that the site should not be sold off for development.
Green District Councillors James Abbott and Bob Wright have subsequently written to the Essex Fire Authority to request that the Fire Station remains where it is.
It was known that the Fire Station site might be redeveloped when a bid was made to include the site in Braintree District Council's Local Development Framework, currently being drawn up.
However, Green District Councillors uncovered a more detailed plan by the authorities to sell Witham Fire Station for development and to move the station to somewhere on the industrial estates, with training facilities (including from other sites) being centralised at Kelvedon Park/Durwards Hall on the A12 between Rivenhall End and Kelvedon. This information was contained in a document from 2010 (note 1) marked "Restricted - Commercial", which was found on the internet.
On page 79, the document discusses the valuation of the Witham site for housing development and states the need to keep the number of units below the threshold for affordable housing, which was 15 at the time.
District Cllr. James Abbott said
"We would like to thank residents for taking the time to respond on this issue. Of those who responded, the view is very clear - that the Fire Station should stay where it is in Hatfield Road, a site that has been used as a base by the emergency services for decades.
It is a well located site so that fire engines can access all parts of Witham, nearby villages and the A12 along several routes.
The Fire Service is of course vital to local communities. When things go seriously wrong, we all depend on the emergency services for help.
The Fire Service is also a service paid for by residents and they should have say in its future.
Decisions on the potential sale of Witham Fire Station for development, along with other sites, appear not to have been open to sufficient public scrutiny. It is also a matter of concern that even in considering selling the site for development, public authorities appear to be trying to avoid affordable housing in order to maximise capital receipt.
This comes on top of the information we uncovered using the Freedom of Information Act that Essex County Council made a net profit of nearly £11.5 million from the sale of land for development at nearby Maltings Lane, but most of the promised community facilities have not been provided.
20 of the 25 Members of the Essex Fire Authority are also Members of Essex County Council (note 2)
We have written to the Essex Fire Authority to raise these concerns and to ask them to reconsider their proposals and keep the Fire Station where it is."
ENDS
Notes:
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