Councillor Meirick Lloyd Davies, Chair of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, officially opened the Tywyn Fire and Police Station yesterday (Wednesday 8th June).

The joint station, sited on Pendre Enterprise Park, Tywyn, is a fully operational fire and police station.

Work began on this project back in February 2015 and was completed in January this year - the investment has upgraded the facilities from the previous fire station on Frankwell Street that had been operational on the same site since the 1960s.

Simon Smith, Chief Fire Officer, said: “The previous fire station at Tywyn was an old building in great need of upgrading. Today we work more closely with our partners in the police, therefore it made clear sense for both police and fire and rescue service staff to operate from the same building.

“We have tried and tested the co-location of our staff on previous occasions, including at our Joint Communications Centre in St Asaph, and our relationship has always been very successful. Last year, we opened another similar joint facility in Nefyn which has proved very successful and we now look forward to continuing to build on this relationship at Tywyn.

“The project has involved a substantial investment of £1.225 million and demonstrates the commitment of both organisations to their staff and local community.”

The building works were carried out by Peter T Griffiths, Conwy. The fire station now includes a muster bay, a drying room, a kit room and a breathing apparatus workroom and a watch office. The police will have an office and an interview room, and both organisations will now share male, female and accessible toilets, shower facilities, a lecture room, a kitchen, and a gym.

The new station is accessible to everyone in the community and complies with the access requirements of Equality Act 2010. The whole building features a modern building management system. It is also an eco-friendly station with a rain water harvesting system installed to recycle water for use in the toilets.

Councillor Meirick Lloyd Davies, Chair of North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority, said: “Both the fire and rescue service and the police deliver a wide range of services which require the building to have the most up to date facilities for staff. A purpose built building such as this provides an excellent facility, not only to help support the training of firefighters to tackle incidents, but also to deliver the diverse education and prevention schemes that are operated here in North Wales by both organisations.”

Superintendent Iestyn Davies said: “North Wales Police is delighted to be a part of this shared facility. We are confident that it will open up worthwhile opportunities for us.

“We can only prevent crime by working closely with our partners, and the joint location of public services is a positive step forward, given the financial constraints facing the organisations.

“The new building will enable us to maintain a strong community policing presence in Tywyn.”

Arfon Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner, added: "We already have a close working relationship with the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service so, wherever possible, shared facilities make perfect sense at a time when budgets are tight.

"Having new, state-of-the-art premises also means that officers and staff have a better working environment which can only be of benefit in providing the best possible service to the local community.

"Through innovative collaboration like this, we can continue to provide enhanced policing to communities across North Wales and reduce costs at the same time."