Liberton Community Fire Station to be rebuilt as part of an estimated £10 million project

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has announced that building works to demolish and rebuild Liberton Community Fire Station has now begun.

It will be the first new-build station in Edinburgh in more than 30 years and the first anywhere in Scotland since the creation of the national service in 2013.

Liberton station is in a key strategic location for SFRS in responding to emergencies across Edinburgh and the east of Scotland, as highlighted during detailed analysis and simulation modelling undertaken as part of a nationwide Service Delivery Review.

The current site of the station has now closed, with the rebuild estimated to take approximately 15 to 18 months to complete.

To allow work to commence, while maintaining emergency cover for the surrounding area, the appliance and crew will move to a nearby temporary facility at Alnwickhill Road with support provided from neighbouring stations, including Newcraighall Community Fire Station.

The local community should expect to see an increase in fire appliance movements in and around the Alnwickhill Road area.

The project is part of a wider programme of works to address issues with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) affected fire stations over the next five years. Repair and upgrade work has already been completed at Galashiels, and work to repair and upgrade Livingston and rebuild Dalkeith is due to start in due course.

It also follows a recent announcement to changes to around 30 fire stations across Scotland as part of the SFRS review that will see the repair or rebuild of a further five sites affected by RAAC (Cumbernauld, Hawick, Helensburgh, Milngavie and Tranent).

The new station at Liberton will include upgraded welfare and decontamination facilities, and an improved community space. There will be specific areas for managing contaminated fire kit bolstering the safety and wellbeing of SFRS staff and partners.

Once complete, Liberton Community Fire Station will be a modern facility to support communities, and SFRS service delivery demands for decades to come.

Area Commander David Dourley is the SFRS Local Senior Officer for City of Edinburgh. He said: “This is an exciting project and represents a significant investment to improve service delivery and firefighter safety. This will be the first new build station in Edinburgh in more than 30 years directly replacing the former station that has faithfully served our staff and the community for 50 years.

“The new station will be modern and fit for purpose and has been designed to meet operational demand and the growing needs of our communities. Once complete, operational efficiency, emergency response and engagement capabilities will be bolstered across Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.”