Groundbreaking ceremony marks progress on new Bath fire station

Construction of Bath’s new fire station has formally begun following a groundbreaking ceremony at the Cleveland Bridge site.

Fire service staff with representatives from Willmott Dixon at the fire station site | Photo © Avon Fire & Rescue Service

Firefighters and staff from Avon Fire & Rescue Service joined representatives from construction company Willmott Dixon for the event on Thursday 2nd July.

The ceremony followed the demolition of the former station and marked the start of work to create a modern and more sustainable facility on the same site.

Construction is expected to be completed in summer 2027.

Chief Fire Officer Matt Cook said: “As we break ground on our new fire station at Bath, it’s a chance to celebrate all the hard work and effort it’s taken to reach this milestone and get excited for the next chapter in its redevelopment.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who’s been involved in this project.

“Our staff have shown compassion, drive and resilience in delivering the planning for a building that best serves our communities for generations to come.

“I also want to share my gratitude to the residents who engaged with our process from the beginning and have helped shape the plans for the rebuild of their local station.

“We do appreciate your continued patience while the building work commences. This also goes to residents living by our temporary location – thank you for your support.”

Richard David, director at Willmott Dixon, said: “The redevelopment of Bath Fire Station is a project we are incredibly proud to deliver.

“It will offer a modern, high-quality operational environment that will meet the demands of the firefighters at Avon Fire & Rescue, supporting them as they protect the community.

“We are looking forward to seeing the site transformed from the foundations to a landmark public building that will serve the city for decades to come.”

The original Bath Fire Station was built in 1938 and was one of the oldest stations operated by Avon Fire & Rescue Service.

The service said the redevelopment was needed to support its eight-minute response targets, improve firefighters’ safety and wellbeing, reduce running and maintenance costs and provide greater long-term resilience.

The replacement building is also intended to be energy efficient and net zero in operation.

During construction, crews will continue responding to incidents from the temporary fire station at Roseberry Place on Lower Bristol Road.