Avon Fire planning to leave Portishead HQ
The organisation has used the joint HQ site in Portishead with police since 2017
Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AFRS) is planning to quit the headquarters it shares with the police and move into its current training base in Avonmouth.
The organisation has used the joint HQ site in Portishead with Avon & Somerset Constabulary since 2017.
But a deal on sharing Severn Park Training Centre with Devon & Somerset and Gloucestershire fire services ends in March 2028, and AFRS — as the lead service responsible for 50 per cent of the total charges — intends to take full ownership and operation of it.
The plan is to retain the training facilities for both operational and corporate employees but also repurpose the building as its new HQ, with a move-in proposed for winter 2028.
AFRS has been locked into a private finance initiative (PFI) for Severn Park, in the aptly named Smoke Lane, since 2002 with the two neighbouring fire services.
A spokesperson said: “With the PFI coming to an end, there is an opportunity for the service to provide its own HQ and ensure the Severn Park site is used to its full capacity once it transfers into the control of AFRS.
“Considerations being made for a move to Severn Park as HQ include all functions currently located at Police & Fire HQ and the potential to explore further functions and teams also relocating from around the service.
“To decide the best outcome for the service and our staff, we have put together a steering group.
“The group’s role is to ascertain if this is the right move for us, to look at all potential risks and factors such as logistics, environmental, and financial, to name a few.
“A survey has been issued, where staff have the chance to have their say on what they need from their new HQ.
“This invaluable information will inform us of certain decisions, such as the number of meeting rooms, office provisions, and most importantly, how to get the best use out of the space so that our staff feel supported and engaged during their working day.
“Alongside the office space for HQ staff, we will prioritise all training at the site, which includes fire behaviour training, training for new recruits, road traffic collision training and classroom space to cover existing courses that currently take place at Severn Park.
“We aim to be proactive, transparent, and inclusive, ensuring staff, partners, and the public remain well-informed and engaged at every stage.”
Avon & Somerset Police intends to take over the space currently occupied by AFRS at the shared HQ by December 2028.