Permission given for new ambulance station in Newport
Newport is a step closer to getting a brand new ambulance station after planning permission was granted for a new base at the town's Cottage Care Centre.
The ambulance service has, for the last four years, used the town’s fire station as a response post, but the move to the Cottage Care Centre would be permanent.
Permission has been given for a portable cabin on its grounds, incorporating a restroom and facilities for ambulance service staff, with parking for emergency vehicles.
John Airth, Trust Chairman at the Cottage Care Centre, said: "Now we have planning permission we are not one but two steps nearer. We have had an onsite meeting to further discuss the location and siting of the base for ambulance personnel.”
Robert Marsh, Assistant Area Manager for West Midlands Ambulance Service in Shropshire, said: "Now we can begin to turn this into reality. Work will begin on preparing the site for the new Community Ambulance Station for our staff and parking for the ambulance. I am looking forward to a long and successful relationship with the Cottage Care Centre."
The planned move within Newport is part of West Midlands Ambulance Service’s ‘Make Ready’ Project. The project involves the creation of two round-the-clock vehicle preparation and maintenance hubs at Donnington ambulance station, which has been refurbished, and at a new site in Shrewsbury, which will replace the county town’s ambulance station in Abbey Foregate. Other traditional ambulance stations in Shropshire that are owned by West Midlands Ambulance Service will be sold and replaced by a greater number of Community Ambulance Stations such as that planned for Newport. The number of Community Ambulance Stations in Shropshire will be approximately double that of traditionally owned stations.
The new Community Ambulance Station in Newport is expected to go live in August.
