The brand new 'town' in north Liverpool hardly anyone will ever see

David Humphreys
·3-min read

A brand new motorway, train line and housing development in north Liverpool has officially opened that very few people will ever see.

Located on the 12-acre site of the former Commercial Hydraulics plant on Long Lane, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service has officially opened its £40m training and development academy. Alongside the brand new multi-pump housing for active appliances, a series of facilities have been specially designed for honing of officers’ skills.

Officials said the multi-purpose location would help “equip the new generation of firefighters in Merseyside.”

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The new multi-pump super station will not only combine existing stations in Croxteth and Aintree with ground broken on an 80-week build in October 2022. The site is located opposite the Jeffrey Humble football centre on Long Lane, with a new synonymous red station visible from street view.

Around 150 staff and contractors from Wates Construction were tasked with bringing the design to life. The new multi-pump station comprises four appliance bays, incorporating operational and welfare accommodation, offices and training facilities, external drill and training spaces, as well as a four storey training tower.

It is expected more than 60 firefighters will be based at the site all working to a 24-hour shift pattern with 15 on duty during each shift.

Around 50 administrative/training staff will also work on site during normal office hours. It is expected overall response times across north Liverpool would improve on average by 34 seconds when the station is fully operational.

Addressing dignitaries at an official opening ceremony this morning, Cllr Les Byrom, chair of Mersey Fire and Rescue Authority, said the opening of the new training and development academy was a “very special day for us” and described the site as “a new baby” and members as “very, very proud parents.” Cllr Byrom said the plans had taken a while to achieve and would relocate staff from the “much loved” former training site on Storrington Avenue in Croxteth.

He said the academy had “served Merseyside so much in the post war period” and the new site represented a time of change. He added: “It is time to renew to equip the next generation of firefighters in Merseyside.”

As part of the new site, a brand new motorway complete with overhead signage – which will never be used by the general public – culverts for recovery of vehicles and even train lines complete with tunnels has been constructed on the ground. The service has also taken delivery of two of the former trains used on the Merseyrail network.

Across from the training site where the high rise, motorway and tunnel would be situated, a purpose built command and control suite is being developed to allow teams to visually train for a range of incidents, simulating small scale incidents through to major incidents involving multiple agencies. These will then be put into practice out on the ground.

Phil Garrigan, Chief Fire Officer, reflected how firefighters required extensive training as they “go to some horrific and challenging incidents daily” and “move forward when others understandably move away.” The chief officer added how the terror attack on Liverpool Women’s Hospital in November 2021 was a reminder of what firefighters are called upon to respond to and without lifelike training, “we can’t expect firefighters to excel.”

He said: “We train hard to firefight easy.” Chief Officer Garrigan said the new centre was a place for growth and development, with the development a “journey built on aspiration for our firefighters and communities,” adding: “What we’ve created has surpassed our expectations.”

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