NEW multi-million pound fire and rescue training centres planned for Weymouth and Devizes have been delayed with costs also increasing.
Both centres will be based at existing Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue premises.
The Weymouth centre will replace the existing county-wide training facility which has been at a former army base in West Moors since 1996.
The new centre will feature various scenarios for staff exercises, including crashed tankers and a bus, work accident settings and rescue and fire fighting in a range of buildings.
The cost of the new centre, on vacant land behind the Weymouth fire station and community building in Radipole Lane has not been revealed but £8m had been set aside for the new Weymouth facility and a re-vamp for the existing Wiltshire training facility based at Devizes.
It is believed that the extra costs involved, mainly because of inflationary pressures in the building sector, will add more than £1.3million to the budget estimate, although until tenders are received early next year the final figure will not be known.
A meeting of the fire and rescue authority in Salisbury was told that the project timeline has been ”slightly delayed due to the work of contractors undertaking specialist assessments required for planning applications.”
The report also noted that costs have also increased, but said that financial reserves are available to meet the increases without having to take on additional long-term borrowing.
Assistant Chief Officer Jill McCrae said public consultations have continued at both bases with some minor concerns being resolved and overall feedback being positive.
Planning applications for both centres have now been submitted to Dorset Council and Wiltshire Council. It had been hoped to have a decision by now, but that has now slipped to October.
If both decisions are positive, as anticipated, work could start in May 2024 at both sites with both sites operational in the summer of 2025.
A further review of the financial position will be held at a DWFRS authority meeting in December with tenders expected to be invited in January.
The service says that both sites will be using modern technology which is environmentally sustainable and will be safe for firefighters in making sure they are well trained with the best facilities the service can afford to provide.
“The proposals for the Weymouth site were presented to a range of stakeholders at several consultation events in the Autumn of 2022," said a report.
"Feedback from these events raised very few issues from residents and local communities, which is validated by the designs being proposed."
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