Glasgow could lose a fire station and this is what people had to say about it

Yahoo

19-07-2025

Residents living in areas that could lose a local fire station have raised concerns about whether they will be "kept safe" as a result.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) has been holding public meetings about the possible closures of Yorkhill and Cowcaddens fire station.
The Glasgow Times attended two meetings this week on Wednesday and Thursday, July 16 and 17 to hear how residents feel about the two options for change which will affect Glasgow.
At each meeting, which took place in The Pyramid in Anderston and Townhead Village Hall, the SFRS did a presentation about the two options before residents took part in a discussion and were invited to put forward ideas.
Option one would see Cowcaddens fire station rebuilt on Maitland Street, the sale of the current site, and the closure of Yorkhill fire station which currently has one appliance.
Option two would see the closure of Cowcaddens at its current site with the land sold off, but they would retain their Maitland Street site for possible future development. Yorkhill would remain open.
The fire service has said the response times would remain favourable and highlighted Glasgow city centre is covered by the highest concentration of stations in Scotland.
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A total of six residents attended the meeting regarding Yorkhill on Tuesday evening.
There were concerns raised about whether the area's growing population has been considered when the options were drawn up or if the decision was based on current figures.
Several planning applications have been approved in recent times with thousands of new homes set to be built in Anderston and Yorkhill. It was also pointed out that that the area has large venues such as the Hydro and SEC which have thousands of people attending at a time.
One resident said: 'I don't think you should be cutting it [services] down when houses are being put up everywhere.'
A second agreed: 'I think it's a shame both options put forward closing a station.'
They continued: 'Glasgow is changing, there is a huge amount of redevelopment going on.'
🚒The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is undertaking a Service Delivery Review to explore ways to modernise and improve operations, ensuring we're better equipped for the future. 23 options for change will be part of a public consultation. Read more: https://t.co/uAEuPEOoO0 pic.twitter.com/P64GsUAluS
— Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (@fire_scot) June 25, 2025
It was also raised that Glasgow now has a Tall Buildings Design Guide, which could see more skyscrapers in areas including Anderston Quay and Cowcaddens, with questions asked over whether this had been considered by the SFRS.
One resident said they don't want to see a 'scramble' in the future to reinstate services that they 'shouldn't have lost' in the first place.
Another agreed they are concerned resources are being taken away despite more people coming to the area, with several people pointing out Anderston Police Office was also closed taking another emergency service base out of the community.
One resident did highlight however that appliances attending a fire do not necessarily have to come from the nearest fire station.
There were also questions asked about what could happen to the Yorkhill fire station site if it was sold and what could be developed there, with a resident saying there needs to be more social housing in the area.
It was also said by one person that they hoped the decision on what land to sell of what not just about money.
An attendee commented: 'They have to keep their head above water, but we need to be kept safe.'
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Similar concerns were raised by city centre residents who attended Thursday evening's meeting about the possible closure of Cowcaddens station, particularly regarding the area's growing population and high buildings.
Several developments have also been approved in the city centre with thousands of new homes also set to be built.
A couple of the 12 residents attending said they felt choosing option one was a 'no brainer'.
There was frustration over the fact both options which are being considered would see the current Cowcaddens site sold leading to possible developments in that area, with one person saying it will be a 'disaster' for those living nearby as they have already the experienced other developments being built nearby.
They said: 'This consultation means nothing because the site is going to go.
'We are going to be impacted by another 10 years of building.'
Participants at both consultations also asked if the city centre's changing road system have been considered when calculating average response times.
One resident in Anderston said they have seen fire crews stuck in traffic while trying to move through the city centre.
They said: 'The traffic is impossible, and it will only get worse as roads are filed down.'
Some residents did not feel they have been brought into the consultation process early enough and said that 'decisions have already been made' however the SFRS did highlight there were public consultations early on when they were developing options.
A few also commented they did not like that it felt as though two communities were being 'pitted against each other' over which fire station should close.
Presentations were held by Assistant Chief Officer Jon Henderson, director of prevention, protection and preparedness in Anderston and Assistant Chief Officer Craig McGoldrick, director of training, safety and assurance, in Townhead who assured residents both options put forward are viable.
The SFRS are working to reshape the service to meet new risks and make sure resources as where they are needed most.
In the last 20 years, the number of domestic fires has halved and the number of people injured in fires has decreased steadily since the early 2000s, but there are now more wild fires due to the effects of climate change.
They are also working to modernise their stations and want to put more resources into training and protection.
The SFRS Service Delivery Review consultation will run until September 16, 2025.
You can find out more and take part via firescotland.gov.uk.
If you require information in a langue other than English or in a different format such as braille or audio you can email [e-mail].
A decision on what changes will be made is expected in December of this year.
SFRS options for change in Glasgow
There are two options for change in Glasgow involving five fire stations – Maryhill, Yorkhill, Govan, Springburn and Cowcaddens
Option one
Rebuild Cowcaddens on Maitland Street site and maintain two wholetime appliances. Reinstatement of second appliance that was temporarily withdrawn in September 2023.
Reduce the number of wholetimes appliances based at Govan from two to one. The second appliance was temporarily withdrawn in September 2023.
Reduce the number of wholetime appliances based at Springburn from two to one.
Close Yorkhill which has one wholetime appliance based there.
Reinstate the second wholetime appliance at Maryhill that was temporarily removed in September 2023.
Option two
Reduce the number of wholetime appliances based at Govan from two to one. The second appliance was temporarily withdrawn in September 2023.
Close Cowcaddens which has two wholetime appliances based there. Maintain ownership of the neighbouring Maitland Street site for future development.
Reinstate the second wholetime appliance at Maryhill that was temporarily removed in September 2023.