Residents lose battle over fire station move
8:34am Tuesday 21st February 2012 in Where I Live By Rachel Blundy
Developers are planning to move West Norwood fire station from Norwood Road (pictured) to Knight's Hill.
Plans to move a fire station from a town centre to a residential street look set to go ahead despite neighbours’ concerns about noise levels.
An application to relocate West Norwood fire station, based in Norwood Road, to a disused doctor’s surgery in Knight’s Hill was initially rejected by planning officers at Lambeth Council in January last year.
But, following a successful appeal earlier this month, the London Fire Brigade (LFB) has been given permission to develop the site into a three bay fire station, which will operate 24 hours a day.
Hundreds of residents signed a petition against the plans after they were put forward in July 2010, saying the new station would cause disruption for those living nearby.
Many locals argued the current station, a Grade II listed building which dates back to 1914, could be updated, despite the LFB’s insistence it was protected by heritage laws and therefore could not be suitably modernised.
But councillor Jane Pickard, who represents Knight’s Hill ward, said developers had not properly investigated whether the current station building could be changed to incorporate modern vehicles, despite changes to central government guidelines on listed properties. She said the new site, which is currently inhabited by squatters, remains unsuitable for the development.
She said: “We think it probably would be possible to convert the current fire station inside.
“A lot of people are annoyed about [the appeal]. But we have given it our best shot- we knew it was on a knife-edge. We cannot win all planning decisions.
“We now want to work with the London Fire Brigade to see their promises are kept. They have assured us that there won’t be a lot of sirens going off.”
A date for the planned relocation is yet to be set, but station bosses predict it will take at least another two years before the new building is finished.
Andy Hickmott, LFB Assistant Commissioner for Technical and Service Support, insisted the planning appeal had examined ways to keep noise to a minimum.
He did not answer claims the current site had not been explored for possible modernisation.
He said: “We are extremely pleased with the planning inspector’s decision as this new fire station will allow us to further improve the fire cover we are able to provide in West Norwood.
“The existing station has been in use since 1914 and is no longer fit for purpose.”
