WORK on Keighley’s new £2.2 million state-of-the-art fire station – which was due to begin in the New Year – has been delayed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The plans were for the existing fire station, built in 1964, to be demolished and the new one constructed on the same Bradford Road site.

Funding for the scheme was approved earlier this year as part of West Yorkshire Fire Authority’s 2020-21 budget.

But a new report has revealed that the project has stalled due to the issues regarding lockdown.

An authority spokesman says they “cautiously hope” to be able to begin work on the station in the 2021-22 financial year.

The details were revealed in a report to the authority’s community safety committee.

In a section detailing the main priorities for the Bradford district in the coming year, the report says: “The new Keighley Fire Station was due to be progressed at the beginning of 2021 – this has unfortunately been delayed due to the Covid lockdown.

“Planning has now restarted and staff based at Keighley are being consulted on the plans and will provide input around the design and layout.”

When the plans for the new station were first announced, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the current fire station – one of the biggest in the Bradford district – was in a poor state of repair.

The authority said a detailed feasibility study found it would be more cost effective to demolish the existing building and construct a “smaller, more suitable fire station which reflects the need of a 21st-century fire service”, rather than refurbish the current premises.

When asked about the delay, a fire service spokesman said: “Unfortunately our timeline for the build of the new Keighley Fire Station has been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have reassessed and adapted our plans and we cautiously hope to be able to start the new station build in the next financial year from April 2021. "However we are very mindful that we may need to further revise our plans as and when the situation requires.”

The report into Bradford district priorities also discusses the process of recruiting more firefighters to some areas.

There have long been shortages in recruits for the Silsden and Ilkley stations, and although the report says things have improved in the past year, this was another area that has been impacted by Covid-19.

The report to the committee said: “The fire cover at Wharfedale in particular continues to be a challenge for the district but recruitment has been positive.

“There have been several new starters at both Silsden and Ilkley stations over the last few months which has improved availability; we continue to support fire cover using whole-time firefighters where necessary.”