Former Barnsley ambulance station to become training facility and community meeting space

The ambulance station, which is on the former Barnsley fire station site off Broadway, is currently being used as site offices by staff working on the new fire station project.

The old fire station was demolished and replaced with a new 10,225 sq ft station in 2021, and the ambulance station remains on the site.

Planning documents state that the building had been refitted around the mid 80s for training, office use and canteen facilities.

The application has been approved, to turn the station into a community building to accommodate Fire Service community programmes, and for use as a community meeting space.

MORE: Start planned this summer on new £6m fire station for Barnsley

These programmes include the Prince’s Trust, and a partnership with Greenacres School.

The design will include a Changing Places facility and reflection space.

“As disability access is key, a new pathway is proposed from pavement edge to building level to enable mobility impaired users easy access to the building,” states planning documents.

The drill yard and tower will stay under the plans and provide a “training facility for ongoing practical officer practice and training which includes RTC training, ladder and high work drills, squad drills, hose and pump drills”.

A report by BMBC’s planning officers states that the hours of use are proposed to be 8am to 11pm, seven days per week.

An acoustic fence is proposed along the southwestern boundary of the site – together with the retention of the existing high wall between the site and residential properties, the officer report concludes that “there will be no adverse effects on residential amenity in terms of noise”.

The plans were approved by Barnsley Council’s planning department on February 24, 2022.