Update - 29th May 2024
Due to the General Election on 4th July, the consultation will be temporarily paused until Friday 5th July. It will then reopen for the remaining 9 weeks until Friday 6th September. The public meetings on 25th June at Banstead Community Centre have been cancelled too.
Original
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is asking residents for their feedback on proposed changes which will form part of the Community Risk Management Plan 2025/30.
The plan sets out changes that SFRS would like to make to keep people safe and ensure an efficient and effective service for communities. The changes aim to prevent emergencies, align to current and emerging risks and ensure the fire service can respond if needed, with the right kit and knowledge.
The most relevant proposal for our local area relates to Banstead Fire Station. It is proposed to relocate the current Banstead crew and fire engine to Godstone Fire Station. According to the consultation documents, the decision is driven by the current lease for Banstead Fire Station expiring in 2025 with no option to renew it and a lack of an alternative location.
The consultation documents set out that even with this relocation, SFRS still expects to achieve Surrey Standard response targets (under 10 minutes for critical incidents). However, the average response time to critical incidents during the day in the Reigate & Banstead area is expected to increase by 40 seconds, from 7 minutes 23 seconds to 8 minutes 3 seconds.
I have concerns about the proposals to close Banstead Fire Station and move the crew and appliance over to Godstone, particularly due to the increase in average response time. I would encourage residents to submit a response to this consultation making your views clear. There is also a public meeting on 25th June at Banstead Community Centre at 3-5pm and 5-7pm where residents can ask questions about the proposals. I would encourage residents to attend this. In the meantime, I will be arranging a meeting with the Cabinet Member and Chief Fire Officer to raise my concerns.
In the FAQs, an explanation is given as to why Godstone was chosen rather than Reigate Fire Station:
"Epsom, Reigate and Godstone were all considered alternative locations. There was very little difference between the response to incidents in the Banstead area from either Epsom or Godstone – however both were an improvement on Reigate. The decision was made to improve the geographical equity of cover as the current response time to incidents in Epsom & Ewell was very low (four minutes and 59 seconds) whereas Tandridge was eight minutes and 42 seconds. That will be improved by 10 seconds should this proposal be approved. SFRS is aware that the response time to the Reigate & Banstead area will increase by 40 seconds, however this is still well within the Surrey Standard response target."
Additionally, the FAQs document makes it clear that it welcomes suggestions from local residents about alternative locations in Banstead for a fire station.
"A great deal of research has been done to try and find an appropriate alternative already, however, if you have a suggested amendment for any of the proposals, there is a space in the survey for you to provide further information. The service would welcome any local insight from communities and will explore sound ideas."
Please find below the link to the consultation:
Surrey CRMP Consultation - Surrey County Council - Citizen Space (surreysays.co.uk)
The consultation closes on 31 July 2024 with a final decision taken by Surrey County Council's Cabinet in January 2025. Please do take the few minutes needed to share your views and raise any concerns. This is your chance to be part of shaping our local fire & rescue services.
