How you can have your say on proposed South Tyneside 999 'tri-station'

Time running out to have your say on new “tri-station” base for emergency services in South Tyneside.
A CGI impression of the proposed tri-station in Hebburn.A CGI impression of the proposed tri-station in Hebburn.
A CGI impression of the proposed tri-station in Hebburn.

The new community facility in Hebburn will provide a home for crews from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) as well as operational teams from North East Ambulance Service and Northumbria Police.

Designs include several sustainable features to help make the facility carbon neutral, including roof-mounted solar panels, a wildflower meadow to help increase local biodiversity and a system that will store and reuse rainwater.

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The community Tri-station is planned for land between Marine Drive and Campbell Park Road in the Monkton ward.

Another CGI view of how the tri-station would look.Another CGI view of how the tri-station would look.
Another CGI view of how the tri-station would look.

If approved, the state-of-the-art hub would replace the current Hebburn Community Fire Station, off Victoria Road West, which was built in 1965.

A planning application for the tri-station was registered by South Tyneside Council’s planning department on January 20, 2022, marking the start of a council consultation on the plans.

Chief fire officer for TWFRS Chris Lowther, speaking last month, said the project would help local communities by allowing blue light services to “unite under one roof.”

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He said: “We are at a fundamental stage of the Hebburn Tri-station project, which is one of the most exciting collaborative blue light community developments that Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service has led in well over a decade.

“The high level of investment shows our commitment to the region – enabling TWFRS and our partners to keeping residents, businesses and the wider community safe from harm.

“The service is delighted to be working hand-in-hand with our colleagues at Northumbria Police, North East Ambulance Service and with the Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner – to deliver a contemporary, eco-friendly facility that will enable emergency services to unite under one roof, and help to serve the local community for generations to come.”

The tri-station will include offices and community spaces, as well as a number of car and cycle charging ports with the view of all three services having a fleet of electric vehicles.

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A design and access statement, submitted to council planners, also outlines how the tri-station would work in practice.

The report reads: “Providing a new facility would allow TWFRS to work more effectively and the proposed new tri-station would further support the local community by bringing together in one location, the fire and rescue service, neighbourhood police and ambulance service.

“This integration of all three blue light services is not only driven by a statutory obligation via the Police and Crime Act 2017, but a desire by all three services to develop even closer links with the local communities, providing a safer and more secure environment for everyone living and working in the Hebburn and Jarrow areas.”

According to documents prepared for the fire authority earlier this year, the gross estimated cost for the estate development works is £7.7 million.

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A decision on the planning application is expected to be made once South Tyneside Council’s planning consultation comes to an end.

Comments on the plans can be made until Friday, February 11, through the council’s online planning portal.

For more information on the planning application, visit the online portal at www.southtyneside.gov.uk/article/35961/Search-planning-applications and search reference: ST/1203/21/FUL