despi approval (pfi)

Emergency services facilities in Dorset are set for significant improvement thanks to a £46 million redevelopment which received the official go ahead on Wednesday 11th July 2007.

Under the Dorset Emergency Services Partnership Initiative (DESPI) Calderpeel Carden Croft will be working with Pff Dorset ltd, a PFI consortium of Morgan Sindall Investments Limited, Construction Company Bluestone and Barclays European Infrastructure Fund 11. The consortium has signed a 25- year agreement with the Dorset Fire Authority to carry out the design, construction, funding and operation of the three new facilities.

The current fire and rescue service headquarters next to County Hall and the existing fire station in Dorchester will both be replaced by new facilities at Poundbury. The new headquarters and fire station have been designed to be in keeping with the traditional design concepts encouraged by the Duchy of Cornwall at Poundbury.

Work is also expected to begin this month with a temporary fire station being provided on the current park and ride site at Creekmoor, Poole. Operational staff will transfer to that site in September when demolition work will begin on the existing fire station in Wimborne Road, Poole. July will also see the start of construction of the new fire station at Marshes End . The new combined police and fire building on the existing Wimborne Road site is due to open in November 2009.

Simon Carden and David Croft Equity Investors in the project and architects for the scheme commented “Calderpeel Carden Croft are delighted to have signed this PFI contract for the joint fire and police services project in Poole and Poundbury, which represents the start of a 25 year working relationship with the two authorities. The designs for the four prominent buildings reflect the differing challenges posed by the locations and building functions. The result has produced a series of landmark buildings on key gateway sites in Poundbury, Dorchester and Poole”