SHIPLEY’S new £4.5 million “state-of-the-art” fire station has officially opened today.

The new site in Shipley Fields Road merged operations from the old Shipley fire station, built in Saltaire Road in 1977, and Idle fire station, built in 1956.

It includes one pump and will be crewed by 24 full-time firefighters spread over four shifts, providing daily 24-hour emergency cover for the southern part of the Bradford district, including Shipley and Manningham.

The two-bay station will also be a base for prevention work to raise public awareness of fire and road safety.

The site includes a gym for its firefighters and the car park behind the station building can also be used for practice drills, including scrap cars to be used for road traffic collision training.

The new Shipley site has been in operation since May 31, but it was officially opened yesterday by Kirklees Councillor, Judith Hughes, chair of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority and Chief Fire Officer John Roberts.

Dignitaries including West Yorkshire Police Crime and Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson and Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw (Lab, Windhill and Wrose) attended the event.

Bradford District Commander Martin Speed said: “It’s good that the new station is up and running.

“It’s been a year in the building process.

“It is a state-of-the-art facility which is as good as any in the district.

“The new station is in a good location for areas including Bradford, Manningham and Shipley.”

Mr Roberts said: “The opening of Shipley Fire Station represents a significant investment by West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue.”

Work to raze the two previous fire stations in Shipley and Idle started on June 5.

MORE TOP STORIES

WYFRS said the work would be completed by August 25, after which the sites would be developed by the social housing landlord Incommunities. The Idle and Shipley site will pass to Incommunities by September 17.

The housing group has confirmed that a total of 22 new family homes will be built across the two sites.

Rupert Pometsey, director of Incommunities – Lumia Homes, said: “We are delighted to see the official opening of the new Shipley Fire Station and the re-development of this part of Valley Road.

“We anticipate taking possession of the two cleared fire station sites in autumn 2017.

“We have planning approval for 11 homes on each site and look forward to starting the developments in early 2018.”

But the new station has not been welcomed by everyone. The closure of the two stations was previously criticised by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) and West Yorkshire secretary David Williams. He said: “The new station is almost in the middle of nowhere, it is a reduction in cover, and people are upset at losing their local fire stations.”