New fire station plans for Heywood move forward

Thursday, 9 July 2026 14:46

By David Murphy

A new temporary fire station is planned for Heywood while the existing site is rebuilt.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) wants to build the temporary station on the land behind the current station off Middleton Road.

The old station will be demolished and a modern facility will replace it.

The temporary structure would be a two-storey modular building with a bay to house one fire engine. The current outbuilding will be used to house any extra specialist vehicle.

The existing fire station is around 60 years old and needs replacing, in the eyes of the GMFRS. Just 400m from Junction 19 of the M62 motorway, the site is still seen as the best location for the new fire station.

Planning papers read: “The temporary fire station will ensure that operational emergency response services are maintained throughout the redevelopment period, avoiding any interruption to service provision for the local community while facilitating the delivery of the proposed replacement facility.

“The proposed redevelopment will replace the existing ageing fire station with a modern, fit-for-purpose community fire station that will meet the current and future operational requirements of GMFRS and provide enhanced facilities for staff, training and community engagement.”

The plans are part of Greater Manchester’s £38m Estates Strategy, which sets out a vision for upgrading and redeveloping a number of stations across the city-region to ensure they remain fit for purpose and enable GMFRS to provide the best possible service to residents.

A separate planning application is expected to follow soon for the demolition of the existing fire station and the construction of a replacement community fire station. The new station is expected to include a new training tower, vehicle parking and training yard.