Fire training centre plans get cabinet approval

Plans to build a new firefighter training centre, highways depot and care home near a motorway junction have been approved by a council's cabinet.

Gloucestershire County Council has given the green light to allocate £46.7m for the project, which would involve a tenanted farm next to the A4019 in Coombe Hill returning 27 acres of land to the council.

Council officers said the site near junction 10 of the M5 is well positioned to serve Gloucester's busiest areas and benefits from strong transport links to the city and wider county.

In addition to money from the council, a residential development would be built on the site with 24 homes to be sold off to fund the overall scheme.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, 75 acres of land would remain within the farm tenancy, if planning permission is granted.

A report presented to Gloucestershire County Council's cabinet on Wednesday morning said of the site: "Its strategic accessibility will be further improved upon completion of the works to J10 of the M5.

"A capital receipt is anticipated from the disposal for the land for housing development, […] it is earmarked to reduce the borrowing costs held by the council for these schemes to be delivered."

Paul Hodgkinson, who is the cabinet member responsible for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, said he was very supportive of the proposals.

He said it is important for his Liberal Democrat administration to be investing in the service and the investment is "part of its improvement journey".

"The fire service currently uses other venues for training but really what we are trying to do is get everything in one place, so that Gloucestershire firefighters can actually go to one bespoke venue for their training" he said.

"It's a really exciting prospect to have this in place and it is connected to other new initiatives going on at that same location.

"It's good news for Gloucestershire and the fire service as is the development there with a highways depot and a care home."

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