FIRE crews are to have a station in Carterton to help cope with demand as the town grows by up to 2,600 new homes over the next 15 years.

In a report to Oxfordshire County Council bosses, chief fire officer Dave Etheridge OBE said it would also improve response times in the rest of West Oxfordshire.

And he will tell the cabinet on Tuesday[feb24] the building will become a home to the police and ambulance services as well.

Mr Etheridge wrote: “Oxfordshire is changing in terms of population, demographics, housing developments, industry and increased traffic which has to be reflected in future planning for the service.

“The option to build a new station was taken following detailed analysis of the current and future development of the town and the increased risks to the community.

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“We believe this project will improve the operational support for larger incidents in the West Oxfordshire area, as more resources will be available across the district.

“It is intended the new Carterton fire station will be a multi-agency hub.”

Other services there in addition to police and ambulances would also include Age UK Oxfordshire and part of the county council’s adult social care department, he added.

The plan for the station came as West Oxfordshire District Council prepares to consider the final draft of a Local Plan for up to 2031. The blueprint for the whole district will earmark land in Carterton for some 2,600 homes to be built.

Town mayor Lynn Little said the new building – expected to be located in Upavon Way near the community college – would be a “tremendous addition” to Carterton.

She said: “Having more than one service under the same banner will be more than welcome in our growing town. It is something I believe Carterton needs and it will also benefit the rest of West Oxfordshire.”

Final plans for the centre, including when it could be built by, were expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks, she added.

Deputy council council leader and cabinet member for the fire service, Rodney Rose, said his authority would seek agreement with Thames Valley Police and South Central Ambulance Service on funding for the station.

Mr Rose said: “We are reviewing all our property at the moment and we have to think about what is best for all services, not just one. Where co-location is possible, we want to do it.”“At the moment we are struggling to find money for lots of things, so anything that spreads the cost will speed things up.”

There are currently 24 fire stations in the county, with eight in West Oxfordshire. The two closest to Carterton are Witney and Burford.

According to the most recent annual report, the service responded to 443 incidents in West Oxfordshire in 2013 and 2014, out of 5,505 in total.

Fire crews aim to reach 80 per cent of emergencies in 11 minutes or less, but last year the service did this for 66 per cent of incidents.

In his report Mr Etheridge said: “This project aims to demonstrate that additional emergency cover in Carterton has the potential to improve the overall response time standards for the area.”