Sunderland planners deliver verdict on Tyne and Wear firefighters’ new 'all hazards' training village
Plans for an ‘all hazards village’ to help train Tyne and Wear firefighters to respond to different types of emergencies have been given the green light by council planning bosses.
Sunderland City Council’s planning department has approved an application for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service’s Barmston Mere Fire Training Centre in Washington.
The fire and rescue service has been investing in its training facilities and recently won planning permission to extend its existing “rail track simulator” with 15 metres of “additional rail line” and associated infrastructure.
The planning listing said there would be two structures, with one structure “simulating” a single detached house and one structure simulating two semi-detached houses, with the new facilities being used for “fire and rescue training purposes.”
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS), in a statement, said the “essential development” is part of a long-term plan to ensure firefighters have the “necessary, suitable and relevant training facilities to build and maintain competence to respond to emergencies of every type”.
A TWFRS spokesperson said the scheme also “reflects the continued priority and commitment of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority to provide resources that will assist with the safety of firefighters and the wider public”.
It was noted that the training facility would be “funded from savings and underspends in previous years” and would “ensure safety for firefighters and of course the public that we serve.”
After considering the planning application, Sunderland City Council’s planning department approved it on October 10, 2025.
Council planners, in a decision report, said the plans would be an “addition to an existing facility and [would] provide a benefit to the fire service by providing an updated and realistic training facility for staff”.
It was also noted that the plans would “only be visible to the public from the slip road of the A1231 to the south, with some screening provided by a thin tree belt” and “subject to appropriate conditions, would not negatively impact visual or residential amenity, ecology, land contamination or highway safety.”
The proposed structures in the all hazards village simulate a range of house types for firefighter training exercises, including a two-storey detached house with four bedrooms.
Elsewhere, the semi-detached part of the training facility would be made up of a two-storey building and a four-storey building with a ‘roof space’ area.
The types of training spaces across the semi-detached part of the training facility include a living room / shop area, basement / garage space, kitchen and dining facilities, bedrooms and bathrooms.
A report on training facilities at a meeting of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Authority on September 18, 2025, said a “principal contractor” for the all hazards village is expected to be appointed “early in the new year 2026”.
The report added: “There is an anticipation that the construction delivery programme for the all hazards village will be in the region of six months, based around the easy accessibility of plant, labour and materials.”
For more information on the plan and council decision, visit Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website and search reference: 25/01622/FUL
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