Wates completes latest fire station

The contractor has handed over the £7.7m St Helens Community Fire Station, its fourth project for Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service.

Situated on Violet Way at the site of the former Pilkington glass factory, the two-storey, three-bay building contains 10,000 sq ft, incorporating a training tower, community and prevention rooms, lecture rooms and a full fittings, furnishings and equipment fit-out.

The project saw Wates carry out extensive ground remediation, demolition and excavation of the heavily contaminated site, which prior to being a factory was a colliery.

Elsewhere, the contractor also focused on ensuring the project delivered community benefits too, such as providing 385 apprenticeship weeks, four work placements, and spending £5m with SMEs within 50 miles.

Dave Saville, business unit director for Wates Construction in the North West, said: “Our work at St Helens Community Fire Station has demonstrated again our expertise in delivering complex blue light projects, and further strengthened our partnership with MFRS – as reflected in our 100% client satisfaction score.”

Staffed 24/7, the station will be home to 38 firefighters and three fire engines, enabling Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service to maintain some of the fastest response times in the country.

The project was procured via the North West Construction Hub. Other projects Wates has successfully delivered for MFRS through the framework include the £5.5m Toxteth Fire Fit Hub in 2013, the £7.2m Prescot Community Fire & Police Station in 2018 and the £4.6m Saughall Massie Community Fire Station in 2019.

Phil Garrigan, chief fire officer, said on the day of the handover: “This is a ground-breaking day for Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and the communities of St Helens. This fit-for-purpose station means we are able to continue providing the best possible service to the people of St Helens, while also providing our firefighters with the facilities they rightly deserve.

“This development would not have been possible had it not been for Wates Construction. They have been exceptional and have gone above and beyond to ensure the station was ready to go operational on time, in spite of the challenges we have faced as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.”

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