AMBITIOUS plans to move Evesham’s Fire Station to allow an 18,000 sq foot Waitrose store to open have been approved.
Members of Wychavon District Council planning committee voted to give the plans the green light on Thursday (February 5)
The bold project has already won support from members of Evesham Town Council and been backed by the Hereford and Worcester Fire Authority.
Under the plans, Evesham’s Fire Station will relocate next to the Evesham Leisure Centre on Abbey Road in order to provide a modern building for town firefighters.
The move will allow the supermarket giant to take posesssion of the fire station site and develop a large supermarket to boost Evesham’s town centre.
Speaking after the decision, Jack Hegarty, Managing Director at Wychavon, said: “This is a fantastic decision and will enable us to not only bring a strong national quality brand name to the centre of Evesham, but also to provide a new fire station to the town.
“We’re confident that this investment will go a long way to regenerating Evesham and increase footfall to the town centre.”
“This project is a great addition to the town and a sound investment for us, will provide us with a return and ensures the economic prosperity in the area.”
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service’s Chief Fire Officer, Mark Yates, said: “The project is a great development for both the fire service and Evesham, and we are delighted we can contribute to the community by supporting Wychavon’s attempts to boost the economic vitality of the town and increase prosperity.
“It is also an excellent opportunity to ensure Evesham has an up-to-date station that will meet the needs of modern firefighting for many years to come.”
Work is expected to start on the fire station first this summer. Work on Waitrose will begin in the summer of 2016 with the store expected to open in early 2017.
