St. Modwen, the UK's leading regeneration specialist, has agreed a £3 million development for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service at the 400 acre Trentham Lakes Business Park in Stoke-on-Trent. The development is being undertaken by Stoke-on-Trent Regeneration Ltd, the joint venture between St Modwen and Stoke-on-Trent City Council.  

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service has purchased a 9,000m² site at Trentham Lakes on which St. Modwen will develop a bespoke 22,400 sq ft property that will provide a single location for the maintenance and servicing of the 208-strong regional Fire and Rescue fleet; ranging from reserve appliances to incident response vehicles.  

Andrew Cox, development surveyor for St. Modwen (which manages the project for Stoke-on-Trent Regeneration Ltd) commented:  "We are delighted that Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service is the latest company to locate at Trentham Lakes with a facility that will support all 30 Fire Stations across the region.  We have an established reputation at Trentham Lakes for creating purpose built properties to meet specific occupier demands and this building is no exception, with every facet being designed and built with the end use in mind.  This property will maximise the efficiencies of the Service while also providing a pleasant working environment for employees who we are confident will enjoy being part of the thriving commercial community here."

Chief Fire Officer / Chief Executive, Peter Dartford added: "Trentham Lakes is the ideal location for our new Vehicle Maintenance Unit, being centrally located within Stoke-on-Trent and offering swift transport links, while also providing us with the capacity to design and construct a building to meet both the needs and standards of the Fire and Rescue Service.  

"Having a single centrally located site at which we can maintain all of our vehicles and rescue equipment is a huge asset to Staffordshire and will enable us to ensure all of our Fire Stations across the region are equipped to the highest possible standards every single day of the year." 

With construction due to be completed at the end of this year, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service's new building is expected to be in use in early 2010.  The property will include 12 vehicle servicing bays alongside a machine workshop, spray booth, storage areas and a training / meeting room.  This will enable the maintenance of the ladders, rescue equipment, light portable pumps, portable generators, hose reel tubing and branches plus a host of other essential pieces of firefighting equipment required across the region.

Annual servicing and large repairs will be carried out within the premises with safety inspections, minor servicing and repairs undertaken for the various 30 fire stations located throughout the County of Staffordshire.  Apprentice Fire Service mechanics will also train and be based at the new unit.

An established mixed use business park, Trentham Lakes is situated in a premier location in North Staffordshire and is best known as the home of Stoke City Football Club's Britannia Stadium.  Nearly two million sq ft of the business park has already been developed with around 30 commercial occupiers ranging from prestige car brands to locally owned businesses.