A new fire station to cover the east of the town should be open by the end of next year.

IPSWICH: A new fire station to cover the east of the town should be open by the end of next year, it can be revealed today.

The new station at Ransomes Europark will replace that at Colchester Road and be very similar in design to the new station recently opened in South Lowestoft.

The planning application was formally submitted by the county council today and will be considered by councillors within the next few weeks.

Construction work should start in June with the new station being completed by the end of 2011.

The design is almost identical to the new fire station opened in south Lowestoft last summer.

Mark Sanderson, Assistant Chief Fire Officer, said: “Planning permission has now been submitted to build a new community fire station to the east of Ipswich as part of our ongoing programme of work to build and refurbish 11 of our 35 fire stations.

“We carried out a six-week public consultation and discussed our plans with staff prior to agreeing to the move.”

He added: “We keep fire cover in Suffolk under continuous review and relocating the fire station will be positive for public safety in and around Ipswich.

“The new station, together with the existing fire station in Princes Street, will help us to better manage risk in and around Ipswich, provide excellent facilities for the community and a much better workplace and base of operations for our fire-fighters. Overall, this is a very positive development. “

By the time the move is completed at the end of next year, other functions at Colchester Road including the training facilities and the control room will have been moved out, leaving the site vacant.