Fire station row rumbles on as decision 'called in'

THE row over the future of Hexham’s former fire station is set to rumble on after Northumberland County Council’s controversial decision not to sell the site to sculptor Sir Antony Gormley was “called in” by opposition councillors.

- JAMES ROBINSON Local Democracy Reporter

Coun Derek Kennedy, Hexham MP Joe Morris and Coun Suzanne Fairless-Aitken at the old fire station

The move means the decision has been paused and will go before a scrutiny committee of councillors in early December.

Last week, the Conservative cabinet agreed not to sell the building to the Angel of the North designer, and instead demolish it to make way for an expanded council depot. The Tories claimed that relocating the depot would come at a huge cost for taxpayers, but the move has been met with fury in Hexham.

More than 3,600 people have now signed a petition urging the council to sell the building to Sir Antony, who intends to use it as a storage space for his artwork with exhibition spaces.

Hexham mayor Coun Derek Kennedy, who leads the council's Independent Group, led the charge to call in the decision.

He was joined by fellow Hexham councillor and Liberal Democrat Coun Suzanne Fairless Aitken, and the leaders of Labour, the Green Party and Reform UK - Couns Scott Dickinson, Martin Swinbank and Mark Peart.

Coun Kennedy said: “This is an unsafe decision. The Conservative cabinet has decided that the Antony Gormley proposal wasn’t the one they wanted to take, and that they were going to continue with the process of pulling down the old fire station so it can become part of a larger council depot.