A NEW £4.5 million fire station in Shipley remains on course to open next summer.

The station in Valley Road, Shipley, will merge the existing Shipley fire station, built in Saltaire Road in 1977, and Idle fire station, built in 1956.

It will be equipped with one pump and be crewed by 24 full-time firefighters spread over four shifts, providing daily, 24-hour emergency cover.

The two-bay station, which is due to open in July, will also be a base for prevention work, raising public awareness of fire and road safety.

It will also feature a community room which will be available for local groups, police and ambulance staff.

The new station will cover an area of 41,000 dwellings with a population of 96,500.

The merger was announced as part of an ongoing efficiencies programme which allows the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority (WYFRA) to manage some of the financial deficit caused by reduced Government funding.

The WYFRA said building a new station between Idle and Shipley would allow the authority to gain maximum benefit from resources.

It said both the Shipley and Idle fire stations would require “major refurbishment programmes at significant cost to maintain them”.

It also confirmed that the station project was on-budget.

The current Shipley fire station will not be closed until work on the new building is complete.

A sod-cutting ceremony took place in May, featuring the then Lord Mayor of Bradford, Councillor Joanne Dodds, to signal the start of building work.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dave Walton said: “Building a new station between Idle and Shipley will allow West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to gain maximum benefit from resources.

“It will also provide local communities with a fire station that meets the demands of a modern fire and rescue service. It achieves significant revenue savings without compromising public safety.”

But the new fire station has previously met with opposition.

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland (Lib Dem, Idle & Thackley), said she opposed the closure of the station in Idle.

She said: “The number of firefighters is going to be spread thinly. New stations don’t fight fires.

“This move just seems to be triggered by cuts.”