Plan For New Fire & Rescue Training Facility

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service has announced plans to build a new state-of-the-art training facility in a Harborough village.

The £7.6m facility would be set-up in Billesdon and help firefighters train for incidents like house fires, multi-story building rescues and motorway incidents.

Earmarked for the the former county council depot site on Gaulby Road, it would also include ‘advanced operational zones’, developed in-line with the latest recommendations from the Grenfell Tower public enquiry.

Computer generate image of how the new facility will look

A planning application for the development is set to be submitted to Harborough District Council and an open evening to reveal more about the project to residents has taken place at Billesdon Fire Station.

The new facility will go up on the former council depot site if the plan is approved

Chief Fire Officer for Leicestershire Callum Faint said: “Our new Training and Development Centre will ensure we are as prepared for as many different, dynamic fire and rescue scenarios as possible both for now and the long-term future.

“This reflects our ongoing commitment to preventing incidents, limiting their impact, and responding in the right way and at the right time when we’re needed across Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland.”

On-call firefighters would also re-locate to the new site from their current base at the fire station in the village.

If the plan is approved the service hopes to begin work on-site sometime next year.

Residents attended an information event to find out more about the plan