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| London Fire Brigade selects Blue3 to deliver the design, build, financing and maintenance of the nine stations |
London Fire Brigade has announced its PFI partner for a construction programme which will see nine of its ageing fire stations rebuilt to provide facilities fit for the 21st century.
The selection of Blue3 to deliver the design, build, financing and maintenance of the nine selected stations marks the beginning of the final stage of the procurement of a major private finance initiative (PFI) contract. Construction work is now expected to begin in June 2013 once detailed plans have been approved.
The Private Finance Initiative project will see London Fire Brigade receive £57.4 million to replace and make major improvements to Dagenham, Dockhead, Leytonstone, Mitcham, Old Kent Road, Orpington, Plaistow, Purley and Shadwell fire stations. Eight of the stations are being completely re-built on their existing sites and one station, Mitcham, will be built on a new site.
Over the coming year the Brigade will work with Blue3 to develop implementation plans; achieve planning permission for all nine sites and refine the important business continuity arrangements which will ensure that fire cover provided by the stations being refurbished is not interrupted during building.
London Fire Brigade Assistant Commissioner Andy Hickmott (Technical and Service Support) said: “This is excellent news for the capital. Some of our fire stations are over 100 years old and are simply not fit for modern purposes. These stations need to be brought up to date and this project demonstrates our continuing commitment to maintaining the world class fire and rescue service that Londoners have come to expect.
“Not only will these new fire stations provide state of the art facilities for our crews, with room for modern fire appliances and training, they will also be kitted out with community spaces that will allow members of the public to easily access vital life saving fire safety advice.”
London Fire Brigade is at the forefront of work to protect the environment, and all of the refurbished fire stations will be energy efficient and contain the latest green technology.
