Kidderminster community ambulance station poised to get go-ahead

Planning officials have recommended the proposals for the base in Birmingham Road are approved.

West Midlands Ambulance Service has lodged a bid with Wyre Forest District Council to serve the east side of town, with the station in Birmingham Road to serve the east side of the town.

A decision was deferred last month for a site visit and planning committee members will discuss the planning application again next Tuesday.

The plan will see the ambulance station in Kidderminster closed and replaced by two community stations to increase response times.

Officials are looking for another site on the other side of the town and say that having response posts and smaller stations closer to where they are needed improves response times and means ambulances do not get caught up in town centre congestion.

They say the move will enable ambulances to reach their target response time of eight minutes.

Instead of 65 ambulance stations the service now has 16 hubs across the region and a network of about 90 community ambulance stations.

Murray McGregor spokesman for the Ambulance Service, said: "The idea is to place vehicles closer to the area where they are needed. We have an ambulance Station on Stourport Road but are looking to instead have two sites either side of the town."

Community stations are effectively small buildings and are a place where staff start and finish their shifts.

"Rapid response cars are based at them and staff are able to build up links with local GPs and health services to try to provide a better level of care for patients."

"There will be the same number of vehicles and staff, only the location will change."

The present building in Birmingham Road is currently used as a training facility by St Johns Ambulance. If consent is granted, existing prefabricated garages would be demolished to make way for parking.

Community ambulance stations usually consist of a toilet and kitchen facilities and parking spaces for one or two emergency vehicles.

Some neighbours have raised concerns over the plans. Four objectors claim the development would have "a significant impact" on the area due to increased noise produced by sirens and the running of engines. They also fear that the use of flashing lights on site would have the potential to cause disturbances to people during the night.

Worcestershire Regulatory Services have said that the mobile siren policy of ambulances is the same as that of the police with a curfew between the hours of 11pm and 7am unless absolutely necessary in congested areas.

Planning officials have recommended that the application should be approval subject to certain conditions.