New Shrewsbury ambulance station may open next month
A new £1.2 million Shropshire ambulance station could open by the end of October – more than seven months after it was originally planned to be up and running – ambulance chiefs said today.
The Shrewsbury ambulance station hub, at Abella Business Centre, off Longden Road, was due to open in April but has faced delays as bosses explored the potential of other sites for the building.
But after a planning application for the new station was submitted last month, it is hoped to have the new facility fully operational by the end of October or early November.
The building, in Mercian Close, will be refurbished to create an ambulance station, offices, a training room, vehicle workshop and 'Make Ready' preparation bays.
The hub will replace the current ambulance station in Abbey Foregate, which will be put up for sale.
Barry McKinnon, West Midlands Ambulance Service's area manager for Shropshire, said today: "If everything goes to timescale, we are looking to move in at the end of October or beginning of November.
"We won't move out of the Abbey Foregate site until the new premises is ready – and then we will put the Abbey Foregate site up for sale."
He added: "There's a multitude of benefits that we are looking towards. Efficiency is one of the reasons, but it's not the primary marker."
Three new community ambulance stations, aimed at speeding up response times, will also be set up in Shrewsbury. They are at Battlefield Enterprise Park, Oxon Business Park and Shrewsbury Business Park.
Ambulance chiefs have signed a 15-year lease on the disused warehouse which will soon house up to 100 staff. It is part of the trust's regional £9.8 million Make Ready proposals which has already seen a second Shropshire hub created in Telford.
By David Seadon
