FIRE chiefs have won their battle to build a £5 million station in Chester after councillors approved the plans at the second time of asking.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s planning committee gave the thumbs up for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) to knock down the current St Anne Street station, which was built in 1971, and build a state-of-the-art replacement.

Councillors rejected the first proposal for the site last November due to the station’s proximity to new flats being built next-door, but CFRS moved the station further from the flats in the second proposal.

Urging the committee to approve the plans, Mark Cashin, chief fire officer at CFRS, told members the decision to build a new station had ‘not been taken lightly’.

He said: “The current Chester Fire Station is outdated and inefficient, and about a third of it is unused and unusable.

“It is incapable of meeting modern requirements and refurbishment – whilst possible – would require significant works and be costly. The current building is difficult to alter to meet our requirements.

“As chief fire officer my priority is the safety and welfare of our firefighters, and the safety of the people of Cheshire. I believe the proposed scheme will better fulfil those priorities.”

Plans for the new fire station had been steeped in controversy.

The Chester Retired Firefighters group had been campaigning for the money to be spent on bringing a second fire engine back to Chester city centre instead – after it was moved to Powey Lane station, in Mollington, two years ago – and their campaign had been backed by a 6,300-signature petition.

But fire chiefs insisted the cash for a second fire engine comes from a separate revenue pot to the station, which is a capital project, and Chester could have both a new station and a second engine.

And Tony Jones, chairman of Chester Retired Firefighters, called on the committee to reject the scheme for its noise impact instead – suggesting the fire engine is likely to be used around 1,000 times a year.

He added: “With these proposals the access road for fire engines is now too close [to the new apartments] and that will create a noise disturbance. We have swapped one problem for another.”

Mr Jones also pointed towards the carbon footprint of building a new station instead of refurbishing the old one – an issue highlighted by Cllr Matt Bryan.

The Labour member for Upton had put forward the climate emergency proposal at CWaC’s last full council meeting – where members committed to placing carbon reduction at the forefront of their minds when making decisions.

He added: “I’m a bit torn to be honest between having an excellent facility, for people that put their lives on the line for our safety, and having something which potentially creates a lot more [carbon] damage than would be if it was renovated.”

However, Cllr Charles Fifield, Conservative, suggested there could also be environmental harm in keeping the existing fire station – which is less energy efficient than the new station is expected to be.

Cllr Jill Houlbrook, Conservative, agreed with Mr Jones that the sound of fire engines – and officers working in the training facility – could cause noise issues for people who move into the new apartments next door.

She said: “I just find it really difficult to picture what life is going to be like for the residents of those buildings that are going to be so adjacent to this building should the planning application be successful.”

But Cllr Lynn Gibbon, Conservative, highlighted that there is already a fire station on the site.

“When people are buying apartments to whatever it is a personal choice,” she said.

“They can see what is there, they don’t have to buy them if they don’t want them.”

Members approved the scheme by six votes to two.

A temporary fire station will be erected on part of the site while the existing one is demolished and the new one is built.

CFRS is also waiting for an appeal decision on the original planning application.