PLANS to revamp Basingstoke fire station have moved a step closer after a £30,000 land deal was agreed.

As earlier revealed by The Gazette, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Authority (HFRA) has set aside as much as £6million to refurbish or completely rebuild the existing station in West Ham Close.

However, a small part of the land was owned by Hampshire County Council – and fire and rescue service bosses have decided to purchase it to give them total control over the site.

Dave Norgate, group manager for Basingstoke and Deane, explained: “Basingstoke fire station has served the county of Hampshire remarkably well for the last 50 years, but the building no longer meets both our operational needs and the needs of us engaging and providing services to the local community.

“But the fire service does not own all the land in the entrance to the station so we are in the process of buying it. When the land is under our control, we can maximise the site. We have two options – either a complete refurbishment or knocking it down and rebuilding the station further down the access run. We have to remember that the station is on a very busy roundabout in the centre of town.”

HFRA’s finance and general purpose committee agreed to press on with the land deal last Friday.