Written answers
Wednesday, 19 March 2025
Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government
Fire Stations
Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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928. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will advance the plans to build a new fire station in Rathdowney, County Laois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12047/25]
James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for equipment and priority infrastructural projects.
Project consideration stages from a Department perspective include submission of preliminary and detailed appraisals; submission of design brief; selection of a site; application for approval in principle; appointment of design consultants; submission of a preliminary design; planning application; submission of a preliminary cost plan, detailed design and cost plans; and tender process and construction stages - each step subject to approval from my Department.
In December 2020, Minister Darragh O'Brien announced the Fire Services Capital Programme for the period 2021-2025, with a funding allocation of €61m. Following extensive engagement with fire authorities, a number of proposals for station works etc. were received.
The proposals were evaluated and prioritised on the basis of the:
- Area Risk Categorisation of the fire station (population, fire risks, etc.);
- established Health and Safety needs;
- state of development of the project;
- value for money offered by the proposal; and
- the totality of requests from all authorities.
Subsequently following reappraisal, approval in principle for a new fire station at Stradbally was conveyed to the Council in November 2022. The Council was approved to tender for design consultants for the project in March 2023 and in February of this year the Council were approved to tender for the construction phase of the Stradbally Fire station project. My Department is working with Laois County Council to progress a new Stradbally fire station in 2025.
In December 2024 Laois County Council submitted an updated preliminary appraisal for a proposed new fire station at Rathdowney, noting several issues with the existing station including,
- accessibility of the site for responding firefighters due to its central location on a narrow street within RathdowneyLaois County Council has indicated a new fire station for Rathdowney to be their number one priority project for the Fire Services Capital Programme 2026 – 2030. The Council has secured a new site they regard as ideally situated with regard to the road network and traffic flow while retaining a central location close to the retained crews living and work environments.
- the stations limited size, poor layout; and
- limited welfare facilities, particularly in the context of the increased optimal crewing numbers of fire stations to 12 following the August 2023 WRC agreement with Retained firefighters.
My Department will be identifying new priority fire service infrastructural projects for the period 2026 – 2030 in the coming months. My Department will work closely with Laois County Council to progress their identified priority infrastructural projects, within the context of the totality of requests from fire authorities countrywide for capital funding.
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