Edinburgh fire station threatened with closure was recommended for replacement in Scottish Fire and Recue Service options appraisal
An Edinburgh fire station currently threatened with closure was recommended for replacement on another site in a fire service options appraisal report.
Marionville fire station is proposed to close permanently and have its fire engine transferred to Newcraighall in a Scotland-wide review of fire services.
But now Lothian Labour MSP Sarah Boyack has used Freedom of Information laws to obtain the report of an options appraisal carried out for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) in 2020 on how to respond to the presence of potentially dangerous RAAC concrete in the building.
It considered various alternatives, narrowing them down to replacing the station on the existing site or on a new site. And it recommended exploring replacing the station on a new site, keeping the current building in operation until the new one was ready.
The new building was costed at £5.5 million and the report noted: "The existing Marionville fire station site is within a residential area close to the centre of Edinburgh with potential higher capital receipt for the existing than other affected stations."
Ms Boyack, who has campaigned along with other Edinburgh and Lothian MSPs to keep the station open, said: “Despite the SFRS’ own appraisal report wanting to explore a replacement station, we now face the prospect of Marionville’s closure.
“Almost six years after the report the question has to be asked: where is our new station?
“What happened in the last five years that caused SFRS to pivot from the potential replacement of Marionville to its potential closure?"
The plan to close Marionville has sparked strong public opposition, with a consultation showing people were 10 to one against the proposal.
Ms Boyack said: “I hope SFRS take note of the massive opposition to the closure across the community, as well as the advice from their own appraisal report and ensure that Edinburgh is not left without this key piece of infrastructure. Edinburgh cannot afford to lose this station.”
Ms Boyack also highlighted the report in a debate on the SFRS in the Scottish Parliament, sponsored by Green MSP Maggie Chapman.
Ms Boyack said: "Neither of the options that were evaluated even considered not replacing the station."
And she said it had emerged last year that there were two potential council-owned sites in the area. "We need to know whether the SFRS has discussed those options with the council."
Also speaking in the debate, Lothians Green MSP Lorna Slater said local people viewed the proposed closure of Marionville as "a dangerous backward step".
"It serves a densely populated area and provides cover to a large part of Edinburgh, including the growing populations in the north and east, the Forth ports and the Scottish Parliament. It forms part of the broad response network that keeps our communities safe through rapid emergency response and prevention work.
"{Local people] worry that removing such critical resource from the heart of Edinburgh will stretch already limited resources, increase response times and put public safety at risk.
"Fires can go from manageable to fully developed in a matter of minutes, and closing the station could place significant pressure on the surrounding stations, two of which are already among the busiest in Scotland."
And Lothian MSP Foysol Choudhury also voiced concerns about longer response times if Marionville is closed. "The shorter the journey between the station and the incident, the better the chance that lives are saved, traumatic burns are prevented and buildings are saved from being reduced to dust."
Community safety minister Siobhian Brown told MSPs that although the public consultation ended in September, the SFRS board had requested further work on independent analysis of the responses, along with a fresh and independent look at the equality impact of the possible changes and there was no date for a decision being made.
The SFRS said replacing Marionville would not be financially viable. “Detailed analysis and modelling shows that it is not an optimum position. Following public consultation and staff engagement, feedback is currently being carefully analysed. No final decision has been made yet.”
SFRS chief officer Stuart Stevens said: “Through our Service Delivery Review, we want to ensure our staff, stations and appliances are aligned to operational risk and demand. This is about creating a sustainable fire and rescue service and one that can continue to keep the people of Scotland safe now and in the future.”