New housing plans for 99-year-old fire station

A county's oldest fire station could be converted into flats and offices under new plans submitted to the city council.

As Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) unveiled its new £40m super station on Long Lane in June it meant the end for its Aintree site on Longmoor Lane.

Now, a year shy of what would have been its 100th birthday, new plans for the location have been put to Liverpool City Council, converting it from a working fire station into new housing.

Having completed the purchase of the site last year, Best Care Liverpool has now set out how it intends to retain the history of Aintree station moving forward.

Past and present firefighters, and their families, bid a fond farewell to the site when it closed its doors for the final time last May.

About 170 parties expressed an interest in taking on the station when its closure was first announced, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Documents released ahead of a fire authority policy and resources committee confirmed an offer of £650,000 was made for the site by Best Care Liverpool.

Committee members signed off the deal in December 2023.

According to its website, the firm is a "family owned company, originally established in September 2018 by qualified nurses".

With experience in domiciliary and home care, it provides services in Knowsley, Liverpool and St Helens.

Authority officials said Best Care provided proof of funding via a mixture of cash in bank, remortgaging of an existing unencumbered property and private equity.

A planning and design statement said the company's proposal was to change the use of the building and convert the ground floor to offices and the first floor to four self-contained flats.

The offices would be run by Best Care.

According to the design and access statement, the site would retain the external facade "so the public would always recognise the building as a former fire station".

The existing doors that were used for fire engines will be repurposed.

The properties will be a mix of one and two-bedroom flats with separate bathroom and living areas.

A decision is expected to be made on the plans in the coming weeks.

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