ANYONE travelling around Rayleigh Weir recently cannot have failed to notice the impressive new fire station taking shape there.

The Rayleigh Weir Community Fire Station has been under construction for nearly a year-and-a-half. The new station is expected to open in late October.

The scaffolding has come down, but workmen are still applying the finishing touches to the £4.5million two-storey building.

The Echo was given an exclusive sneak preview of the new facility, which will replace Hadleigh and Rayleigh fire stations.

Hadleigh’s four crews, each made up of four officers and 11 firefighters, will transfer to the new station when it opens, while Rayleigh station will close.

The closure of the old Rayleigh station has caused concern among residents who fear a lack of cover for the area.

A campaign group has been set up on Facebook to prevent the closure, in which more than 400 people have signed up.

One of the main concerns is the total number of engines covering the Hadleigh and Rayleigh areas is being reduced from three to two.

News that Southend’s aerial ladder platform and the rescue tender from Leigh could also move there has raised fears as to the length of time it may take to get a specialist engine down to the coast along the busy A127.

But senior divisional officer Mark Hardingham, said because Rayleigh Station, in Castle Road, is a part-time retained station, it usually takes about five minutes for firefighters to get there before they can head out.

He said this means reaction times between getting the call and reaching the destination would actually improve.

He said: “At Rayleigh Weir, they’re at the station already. So people in Rayleigh would get vastly improved cover. We understand people’s attachment to their local station because the people there live and work in the community.

“But because it’s a part-time station, most of the time the firefighters won’t be there a lot of the time.”

He added: “The location of the new station is fantastic.

“I’ve been in the service for 19 years and they’ve been talking about relocating Hadleigh to Rayleigh Weir all this time.

“It’s ideal – off the A127, close to Hadleigh and Rayleigh.”

Mr Hardingham, Essex Fire and Rescue’s assistant chief fire officer, looks after the day-to-day running of Essex’s 53 fire stations and has been heavily involved with the Rayleigh Weir project.

The large appliance bay will house Hadleigh’s two fire engines. Next to the bay is the watch room – the hub of the station where calls are taken and firefighters change shifts.

The entrance, facing onto Rayleigh Road, will have a reception staffed by a non-firefighter to meet and greet those who come in.

Inside will be a board of photos and press clippings featuring the station’s firefighters getting involved with community events and there will be plenty of fire safety literature.

Mr Hardingham said the aim was to make the station as accessible to the public as possible in the hope it will be a home to a range of community events.

He said: “Old fire stations can feel a bit unwelcoming when you come in.

“We wanted to design this so the public, from Benfleet, Hadleigh and Rayleigh, can come to us.

“We’d like them to come in and spend about 20 minutes walking around looking at pictures of the firefighters, which should represent our values.

“We want to make it a nice environment for people to knock on the door and bring their children.

“We really want to push the educational aspect and the fact that it’s a fire station for the community.”

There is also a designated community room on the first floor which will be available for local groups to use for free, from parish councils to fitness groups, and for meetings of Essex Fire Authority.

Rayleigh Weir will be part of the Basildon and Castle Point area and will house the command headquarters for the area, which is moving from Hutton, near Brentwood. This will be in an office on the first floor with about 12 staff.

The station is also environmentally friendly and is heated by geo-thermal pipes, which are warmed up naturally by being underground.

Other features are a youth facility area with kitchen for education programmes.

There is also a three-storey enclosed drill tower in the practice area for simulating rescues, and lots of land around, including a grassed area for open days.

The Echo also got a sneak peak at the gym room, a dormitory for the firefighters with 11 single beds, a recreation room and a kitchen.

It is being built by contractors Mulalley and funded through a public private partnership with Essex Ford.

There will be an official opening at the end of November.