'Not fit for purpose' Bath fire station could be knocked down
The building keeps getting struck by fire engines
A fire station which keeps getting struck by fire engines because its 1930s fire station doors are “too narrow” could soon be knocked down and replaced.
Bath’s fire station next to Cleveland Bridge is a “classically beautiful” art deco building from 1938. But Avon Fire and Rescue Service has warned it is “not fit for purpose” for modern firefighting and has now submitted a planning application to Bath and North East Somerset Council to knock it down and build a modern fire station in its place.
Among the issues is the fact that the appliance bay doors through which fire engines leave to attend emergencies are too narrow for modern fire engines, which it warned was compromising response times and safety. The planning application said: “Vehicles frequently strike the sides of the building.”
It also warned that the current station lacked decontamination facilities needed for modern firefighting and warned that ground movement had led to “significant cracking” and structural instability. It said: “The redevelopment of Bath Fire Station provides a unique opportunity to deliver a facility that is purpose-built to meet the needs of a 21st-century fire and rescue service.”
The new building would have wider and taller appliance bay doors, and have six instead of five. It would also include new space for equipment storage, decontamination, and preparation. It would also be more energy efficient than the current building. Despite having 21 different fire stations across the region, Bath Fire Station currently accounts for a quarter of Avon Fire and Rescue Service’s energy use.
Critically, the new facility would also have new welfare spaces — which are largely lacking at the current building. A letter of support on behalf of the fire crews and staff at Bath Fire Station urged the council to support the plans. It said: “Firefighters are often first on scene at deeply distressing incidents, and they are expected to make rapid, life-or-death decisions under pressure.
“They treat injured casualties, work in extreme heat and smoke, witness the aftermath of personal tragedies, and frequently do so in the middle of the night, after already demanding shifts. Repeated exposure to such traumatic events can have a profound effect on mental health, contributing to stress, anxiety, sleep disturbances and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
“Despite these challenges, many of our current facilities offer minimum provision for recovery or wellbeing. The modernised fire station provides spaces that support both physical recuperation and emotional resilience, such as private areas where counselling can be received, peaceful internal and external wellbeing areas and a gym to maintain the required operational fitness standards.”
The new building would have a “dedicated wellbeing terrace” with planting as an outdoor space for rest and reflection. Meanwhile an on-site gym and painted basketball court would encourage physical activity and stress relief, the application stated. It added: “A modern kitchen and lounge area create a welcoming, social environment that fosters camaraderie and relaxation.”
But building the new station means knocking down a piece of Bath’s history. In January, the Twentieth Century Society, which campaigns to protect “outstanding” architecture from after 1914, called for the building to be saved and submitted an application to Historic England to have the fire station listed. Head of casework Coco Whittaker said: “In a city that’s not short of architectural heritage, the Bath Fire Station is a classically beautiful 1930s building with a rich history of its own.
“We simply cannot allow a building of this quality to be demolished: it should either be sympathetically modernised to meet the needs of the fire service, or adapted for some other use, as many other historic former stations have successfully been.”
Alfred J Taylor began designing the fire station in 1937 but after his death in 1938, his daughter Molly Taylor — the architect behind Kilowatt House — took over the project. The Twentieth Century Society said that Ms Taylor was practicing at a time when there were very few women architects and her involvement adds “considerable historic interest” to the fire station.
The fire service has warned that it would “not be achievable” to refurbish the current building to modern standards due to its age and the ongoing movement of the building. Meanwhile relocating to a different site would also come with issues — partially due to the fact that it would mean relocating or re-recruiting the 14 firefighters required to live within a five minute drive of the station to crew its “on call” fire engine.
Under the plan to demolish and rebuild the fire station, some aspects of the historic building will be preserved. The original fireman’s pole will be reclaimed and incorporated into the final design of the new fire station. The crest on the facade of the current building would also be carefully salvaged and “prominently re-set at the public entrance,” the planning application said.