JOY Burch says $1.253 million will be allocated by the ACT Government in 2015-16 to fund major conversion works to the old fire station in Greenway and turn the facility into a modern, fit-for-purpose ambulance station.

“The site was used for many years as a base for ACT Fire & Rescue to respond to emergencies throughout the Tuggeranong Valley, but with their recent relocation to the new South Tuggeranong facility at Conder, the old Greenway station can now be adaptively reused as an ambulance station,” Joy said.

“This project is the latest community safety initiative to be delivered by the ACT Government as part of the ACT Emergency Services Agency’s Station Relocation and Upgrade Program (SURP), which has already delivered new emergency services stations at West Belconnen and South Tuggeranong. Work is also underway on a new Belconnen Ambulance and Fire & Rescue Station at Aranda.

“This initiative will see ambulance crews from the station at Kambah relocated to the Tuggeranong Town Centre location once the works are completed.

“Detailed modelling has identified the Greenway site as an ideal location for an ambulance facility in the Tuggeranong region to support the maintenance of ambulance response times to the ACT community, which are currently among the best in the nation.

“The government’s approach of adaptive re-use for this site presents significant value for money compared with the cost of completely building a new ambulance station on a greenfield site,” Ms Burch concluded.

The Greenway Ambulance Station project is currently scheduled to be completed in 2016.