Elm Lane fire station rebuild sent back to drawing board as costs spiral

SYFRS proposed to rebuild the station as a prefabricated building – potentially the first fire service in the UK to do so.

Back in October 2022, when the plans were first announced, SYFRS said that a prefab building could be in place in as little as 22 weeks from ordering to opening, compared to two years between demolition and a traditional rebuild.

The station was deemed no longer fit for purpose due to “a high level of suspected asbestos”, soaring energy prices and lack of facilities.

However, the service is re-examining its plans after only one contractor submitted a tender – which was 53 per cent higher than the original cost estimate – and 188 per cent above the projections at the pre-tender stage.

The rise in costs has been put down to an increase in building material and labour costs, the national RAAC news and a design which requires a “bespoke modular set up”.

This means SYFRS will now reconsider its options for the site, including a traditional new build, refurbishment of the existing station, and a prefabricated build.

A report to the fire authority states that a traditional build could be completed within the budget, and a prefab building would be ‘more suited to industries with larger scale projects’.

A full refurbishment is also an option, which would include the station being stripped back to brick.

The service will consider its options and the project will go back out to tender once decided upon.