A CEREMONY was held to mark the start of building work to create the biggest and most modern fire station in Hampshire.

The ground-breaking ceremony was performed at Basingstoke fire station, where the old building has been demolished to make way for a new bespoke facility which, once complete, will be one of the most strategically important in the county.

The new £6 million building will be on the existing site in West Ham Close, which has access to comprehensive road links, enabling vehicles to attend incidents as quickly as possible.

The demolished building was built in the 1960s.

Due to the cost of its upkeep and advances in firefighting tactics, it was decided in 2012, following extensive consultation, that a new purpose-built station would be created.

The station, being built by Kier Construction Southern, will include a training hub and public rooms that can be used by local groups.

This will enhance the fire service’s position at the heart of the community.

Iain Hardcastle, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service’s head of service, said: “This is a modern station for a modern era.

“The new building will provide the people of Basingstoke and Hampshire with an excellent facility and give the fire service the chance to work more closely with their partners.

“As well as attending incidents, crews at this station will play a key role in prevention, training and community engagement.”

There will be no disruption to the service whilst the work is carried out, with crews already working from temporary on-site accommodation.

Chris Lawrence, Kier’s commercial manager, said: “We’re pleased to be working with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service on this much-needed new facility.

“We carefully selected our design and engineering teams for their expertise working on Staffordshire and Weymouth fire stations.

“It will be equipped with facilities for both firefighters and the local community to become an asset in the local area and meet the demands required by a modern fire service.”