Cosham Fire Station, Cosham

Paul Basham Associates were approached by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue service and Morgan Sindall to provide Transport Planning support for a new fire station on a brownfield site in Cosham. 

Due to the requirements of the fire station to provide a clear emergency access alongside a main vehicle entrance, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service were working alongside Portsmouth City Council to secure a secondary access via a neighboring site that was also being regenerated to provide a new extra care facility. In addition to this the emergency access onto the A3 required coordination to integrate into Portsmouth City Council's South East Hampshire Rapid Transit Scheme improvements along the A3. Access was therefore a critical consideration and was the key focus of our discussions with the local authority.

In the first instance the team liaised with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service to understand the needs and requirements of firefighters and other partners who may utilise the site. This information was utilised to provide a first principles approach for trip generation and parking demand. This approach was accepted by Portsmouth city Council during pre-application discussions and later used to inform the Transport Assessment submitted with the planning application. To support the development proposals, it was critical to liaise with Portsmouth City Council to discuss how the site’s emergency access onto the A3 could be integrated into the improvements that have been secured as part of the South East Rapid Transport scheme and indeed understand the delivery timescales and requirements. We were successful in working with Portsmouth City Council to agree an approach which included the introduction of a ‘wig wag’ signalised ‘Blue Light Access’ section. We also assisted with the development of the site layout to ensure the vehicles could access the necessary areas at all times.

Following pre-application discussions and prior to the submission of the planning application Paul Basham Associates attended 2 public consultation events to assist the design team with highways and traffic related queries particularly given the sensitivities around the emergency access onto the A3.

We were delighted to see that the planning application was consented in April 2022.