TALKS are underway into the potential for a shared police/fire station in Hereford.

Senior officers from both services have opened up discussions to explore the idea of a shared site.

But that site won’t be the city’s County Bus Station or land off the proposed city link road, with both now ruled out.

Instead, a policy and resources meeting of Hereford & Worcester Fire & Rescue Authority (HWFRA) will hear on Wednesday (March 25) that an as yet undisclosed “preferred option” offers space for a fire station and training facility.

Before this site can be pitched publicly, practicalities such as the ability for retained fire fighters to reach it within target attendance times have to be investigated.

The same meeting will hear confirmation of site share talks with the police.

Hereford’s present fire station in St Owen Street is acknowledged as unfit for 21st century service.

Extensive refurbishment is not seen by HWFRA as viable at an estimated cost of £5.5 million including the setting up of a temporary fire station while the work was done.

A new police HQ to replace the present space-squeezed base in Bath Street has long been on the agenda.

Faced with resistance from heritage campaigners, the fire service pulled out of its own move to Bath Street and the site of the city’s old working boys home being vacated as offices by Herefordshire Council.

The council and fire service had reached a deal over the future for the site that saw the council getting the current fire station site in a land swap.

Alternatives put to the fire service at the time were disregarded as unsuitable.

The council has confirmed that the current County Bus Station off Commercial Road will not be available for development in the near future.

Council owned land available off Edgar Street as part of Hereford’s city link road project is now not large enough to accommodate a fire station.

The police owned Essex Arms site in the same area is also thought too small.

Flood risks have been cited too, despite proposed alleviation schemes.

Several more sites have been investigated since the start of the year, some privately owned.

The council has pitched alternative sites of its own.

Geoff Hughes, council director for economy, communities and corporate, is understood to have toured these sites with Assistant Chief Fire Officer John Hodges.

Senior fire service officers have also liaised with a local land agent to identify opportunities.

As reported by the Hereford Times, the new fire station would need meet the criteria of a new shift pattern that keeps full-time 24-7 999 cover in the county.

HWFRA has backed the new pattern called “Day Crew Plus” as a response to proposed - and strongly opposed - service cuts that would have cost Hereford station one of its two full-time appliances.

At its simplest, the pattern has day cover provided by two full-time crews with the second crew then “living in” at the station on call overnight.