Location row forces police and brigade to ditch joint HQ plans

Published on Friday 8 August 2008 22:03

PLANS by the police and fire brigade in the North-east to share a new £22 million headquarters were finally abandoned yesterday following an increasingly bitter row over its location.

Talks between the boards of Grampian Police and Grampian Fire and Rescue Service over plans for a joint headquarters broke down as the police force continued to press for a site in Aberdeen, while the fire brigade refused to compromise on its demand for a peripheral location.

And, after the meeting, Councillor Mike Raeburn, the convener of the fire board, said: "I cannot see any real purpose in holding further talks. The philosophies of the two boards are so far apart that I really cannot see us coming together on it at all."

Proposals for the joint headquarters were first raised three years ago when the brigade's current headquarters in North Anderson Drive were suggested as a site.

However, the ambitious plans were thrown into doubt earlier this month when the joint fire board agreed to look at alternative sites on the outskirts of Aberdeen without consulting the police board.

And it was announced yesterday, following a meeting between leading members of the fire and police authorities, the scheme should be abandoned.

Mr Raeburn said he was disappointed that the talks had failed to reach agreement.

He said: "The Grampian Joint Fire and Rescue Board was committed to the joint headquarters project, but not at any cost. As board members we are duty bound to ensure best value for the communities of Grampian.

"What we wanted was a building which is basically an office block, not an operational building. We wanted a building that would provide the best value to the public and building it on probably the premier site in Aberdeen when it doesn't need to be here does not deliver best value to the public."

Councillor Martin Greig, the convener of the joint police board, said: "We rely on each other and we have to work together.

"The difference of opinion is about the location. It is disappointing for all involved that we haven't been able to reach an agreement on the location.

"The fire board wish a peripheral site and the police board have said for some time, quite clearly, that we can't support a peripheral site for an HQ."

The force, he said, required a central location within Aberdeen to provide a visible presence with good transport links and direct engagement with the public.

"There are real strategic benefits to having an HQ which is central," said Mr Greig. "Above all an HQ that is central indicates very clearly that the emergency services are at the heart of the community."