PLANS for Durham’s new fire station have won councillors’ support, despite concerns that it will be on Green Belt land.

The County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service wants to build a replacement for its ageing city fire station at brigade headquarters in Finchale Road, Framwellgate Moor.

The new community fire station will be on a site just off the A601 Consett road, near the Sniperley Park and Ride.

The new station, which will have training facilities for crews, is on land designated Green Belt.

The plan attracted objections from some residents concerned about the rural location and  potential traffic problems.

The City of Durham Trust objected to the architecture of the proposed buildings but “reluctantly’’ accepted the siting of it.

Durham County Council’s county planning committee agreed on Tuesday (june 4) that it was minded to approve the scheme.

It must be ratified by the Secretary of State because development would not normally be allowed on such a site.

Planning officer Peter Herbert told councillors: “In this case we think the community benefits outweigh the perceived harm.”

Miles Brown, a resident of  Witton Grove, said people in the area already had to put up with the sound of police and ambulance sirens from the nearby hospital and police headquarters.

He said he thought the exit onto the busy road was unsafe and said that a brownfield site should have been chosen.

Councillor Paul Taylor said he backed the plan , saying: “We need a new fire station and there isn’t a better place.”   

Afterwards, John Hewitt,  the service’s deputy chief executive, said: “This is a major step forward with our plans to build a new Community Fire Station in Durham.

“Our fire stations need to be strategically placed to ensure we can protect local communities and respond to a wide range of incidents across our area.

“We have undertaken a significant amount of work over a number of years to find a site that will enable us to respond effectively and provide first class services to local communities.

“The site at Sniperley fully meets our requirements. If everything goes according to plan we should be in a position to start work on the new station in the new-year.”