COUNCILLORS are being recommended to approve the building of a new fire station on farmland.

An application has been lodged to build a new community fire station on a field next to Sniperley Farm on the outskirts of Durham City.

The building would replace Durham’s existing fire station at Framwellgate Moor, which is more than 50 years old.

However, several residents are objecting to the location, which is on Green Belt land just off the A691 Durham to Consett road, near the Sniperley park-and-ride site.

The proposed complex of two-storey buildings and a four-storey tower would provide a base for fire crews, a wing for up to five fire appliances as well as training facilities and car parking for staff and visitors.

The City of Durham Trust says it reluctantly accepts the site chosen for the development, despite its Green Belt location, but objects to the proposed architecture of wood, stone and steel.

Four residents have written to object to the scheme because of its rural location and potential traffic problems. The owner of Sniperley Farm is also objecting to the application on a number of grounds, including what they say was a lack of consultation over the application.

County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Authority says it has considered a number of alternative sites, including redevelopment of its existing Framwellgate Moor station, using the playing fields at St Leonard’s School and a number of sites close to the University Hospital of North Durham, but none were as suitable as the proposed site.

Planning officials are recommending that the application be approved, subject to a number of conditions.

Members of Durham County Council’s County Planning Committee will consider the application at their next meeting on June 4.