New Ramsgate Fire Station Plans Revealed

Find out more about plans for a new Ramsgate fire station at a drop in session on Friday 27th September.

The current Ramsgate Fire Station at Effingham Street will be open to the public between 10am and noon with plans on show for the proposed new fire station on the former swimming pool site at Newington Road.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) has been looking for a suitable site to replace the existing 100 year old fire station which was originally designed for horse drawn engines.

The Effingham Street station cannot house a modern fire engine without adaptations such as a shorter rescue ladder.

KFRS have looked at many sites over the last two years and claims the former swimming pool site is the only one that meets its needs. The service wants to keep a fire station in Ramsgate Town Centre so it can reach the most high-risk areas quickly and avoid losing experienced on-call firefighters who need to live close enough to the new station to get there in five minutes. KFRS hopes to buy the site from Thanet District Council which is selling the old swimming pool site after opening a new pool in the town centre.

KFRS aim to apply for planning permission later in October.

There have been protests against using the old swimming pool site as a base for a new fire station as the site was originally left to the people of Ramsgate by the Warre family for recreational purposes.

Thanet District Council claim that old covenants no longer apply to the sale of the site.