Former Nottinghamshire fire headquarters to be turned into homes after move to joint HQ with police

Gedling Council has approved the homes plan, off Bestwood Park Drive, months after NFRS began vacating the building to move to the new £18.5 million hub.

Now, the old site has been given planning approval for the main building to be demolished and replaced with 32 homes, split between 14 three-bedroom and 18 four-bedroom houses.

The development will start once the new HQ move has been completed, with all NFRS facilities expected to be transferred to the joint Sherwood Lodge hub by November.

NFRS put forward the plans in an income-generating move, with documents confirming the development will be created as an ‘open and integral part of the community’.

The homes, approved by members of the council’s planning committee, would continue to be accessed via the same entry point on Bestwood Park Drive.

However, concerns over the access road – varying between 5.5 metres and 7m wide for a distance of 50m – were raised in the meeting, as well as the homes not being near shops, schools or public transport.

And issues were raised over the wider location of the homes and their potential impact on the nearby Bestwood Country Park.

Margaret Davenport, a resident who lives near the site, told the committee: “It would be obvious 32 houses with no schools, shops or bus stops within walking distance – no amenities close at hand – would likely produce more than 60 cars and several daily journeys.

“This would not, in my view, be a reduction in traffic, but a large increase.”

However, Terry Scott, for NFRS, told councillors: “Improvements to the safe pedestrian access up to the development will not only benefit future residents, but also users of the neighbouring country park.

“When the HQ was fully operational, there were 150 members of staff working out of there and, on regular occasions, it hosted events with fire service vehicles accessing the site.

“This development provides capital receipt back into the service to fund future investments, which will further benefit local communities.”

Once the HQ is vacated, all buildings will be demolished to make way for the new development.

About 30 per cent of the homes will be marketed as ‘affordable’, including three first-time homes and seven low-rent properties.

The organisation will also be asked to provide developer contributions to mitigate the impact of the plans.

These include £145,506 in education contributions, £30,000 for school transport, £17,340 for healthcare and £53,890 for the maintenance of open spaces.

Speaking in the meeting, Coun Mike Adams said: “It looks like a very sensible site, it’s got good access and will provide a fantastic local space surrounded by nice green surroundings in a good location.

“It’s a positive development and I’m happy to support it.”

The organisation’s move to the joint HQ came in a bid to share some services with Nottinghamshire Police and cut costs for both organisations.

A new control room was created in the ‘state-of-the-art’ three-storey building, off Burntstump Hill, south of Ravenshead.

The new centre also includes a training centre, changing rooms, a gym, a canteen and offices for the two services.