Fire stations to get £47m PPP upgrade

CONSTRUCTION group Balfour Beatty has won a £47m contract from the North West Fire and Rescue Service to upgrade 16 fire stations.

The company’s specialist unit, Balfour Beatty Fire and Rescue, will fulfill the 25-year publiic-private partnership contract. The contract is the UK’s largest fire service PPP.

The North West Fire and Rescue Services comprises Cumbria County Council, Lancashire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority.

The project involves the design, construction, funding and provision of facilities management for 16 community fire stations, of which seven are in Merseyside, five in Cumbria, and four in Lancashire. 

As well as modernised operational facilities, the stations will provide resources for community use, such as meeting rooms, lecture rooms and gyms.

Construction work on eight stations will begin later this year and the construction phase should complete by 2013.

Balfour Beatty Chief Executive, Ian Tyler, said:”The upgrade of the stations will help meet the changing needs and modern practices of the UK fire and rescue service and provide a better environment for working, learning and training. 

“We look forward to working with Cumbria County Council, Lancashire Combined Fire and Rescue Authority and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority.”
Balfour Beatty will invest equity of approximately £5m over the life of the project.