'Edinburgh fire station closure plan ignores thousands of new homes and reindustrialisation of Leith docks'

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is proposing to shut Marionville fire station and relocate its fire engine to Newcraighall, 3.5 miles away.

The current Marionville building contains potentially dangerous RAAC concrete and the SFRS intends to demolish it, but rather than replace it on the same site or nearby, it plans to rely on other fire stations to fill the gap.

Marionville fire station is being proposed for closure | Google

Campaigners argue the expanding population in the area and the increased activity at Leith docks means Marionville must not be lost.

An option appraisal document includes comments from the SFRS that Marionville was originally sited "near industries that no longer exist".

But Lothian Labour MSP Sarah Boyack, who is supporting the campaign to stop the closure, pointed to new homes and new industries coming into the area.

She said: "There are big developments taking place, for example 3,500 new homes within a mile of Marionville fire station, and huge developments at Forth Ports in Leith with the new renewables hub."

And David Strachan, Fire Brigades Union rep at Marionville, said it didn't look as if these developments had been taken into account.

He said: "I've looked through the SFRS documents on the Marionville proposal and there's no evidence they have taken cognisance of the reindustrialisation of the docks or the 3,500 homes that are planned for within one mile of Marionville."

He said he had lodged a freedom of information request to see the SFRS presentation made to stakeholders, including community groups and other emergency services. "But as of yet I have not seen anything to suggest they have taken these developments into consideration when proposing the closure."

Edinburgh Northern and Leith SNP MSP Ben Macpherson said he too was backing the campaign to save Marionville.

"Our capital city is growing, with a lot of new housing being built in north-east Edinburgh, more industrial activity at the Port of Leith, and the Seafield area soon to be significantly redeveloped.

"All of this makes me feel that we should be looking to increase the fire service provision in the area.

"I am urging local people to respond to the SRFS's consultation and attend the public meetings, and I will be pushing the decision makers to keep the station at Marionville."

The SFRS comments on Marionville in the options appraisal report also include the claim that "station activity there has been low for years".

However, official figures show that in the five years from 2019 to 2023, Marionville attended 1487, 1193 (during Covid), 1269, 1480 and 1241 incidents, averaging 1334 fire calls per year, making it the 23rd busiest fire station out of 356 in Scotland.

Ms Boyack said: "Marionville is already a busy station and it's going to get busier with all that's going on. And there is no solution being proposed to solve that problem. That's the key issue.

"They are proposing the closure of a station that is absolutely vital for safety in the area."

Gus Sproul, Scottish regional chair of the FBU, who is also a local resident, said: “The closure of Marionville would obviously lead to an increase in response times to the area that they currently cover, the area that I personally live in.

“The residents of this side of Edinburgh and Leith have seen how important a role Marionville plays in the fire cover for this side of town with the recent fire on Arthur’s Seat, and the serious house fires in Loganlea, Restalrig and Cables Wynd.

“The public, the local community, their representatives in parliament from across the parties are united in their opposition to this, the service need to listen to what we are all saying.”

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer of the SFRS, Andy Girrity, said changes were being proposed across Scotland to build a modern fire and rescue service that was fit for purpose.

And he said it would not be economically viable to demolish and rebuild Marionville in its current location.

He said: “Changes to building standards and road infrastructure now means population growth and housing expansion does not necessarily equate to an increase in fire risk.

“We recognise the important role that Marionville has in serving the local community. However, our modelling has shown that fire cover and key prevention activities can be maintained effectively from neighbouring stations, including McDonald Road, Newcraighall, Tollcross, Crewe Toll, and Liberton.

“Our analysis indicates that relocating the appliance based at Marionville to Newcraighall, which recently underwent a £2 million upgrade, would offer a more sustainable long-term solution and ensure a more effective distribution of resources to meet risk and demand.

“We have spent several years building our knowledge of changing community risk across Scotland and developed our Community Risk Index Model (CRIM). This has been developed and tested with statistical experts from the University of Nottingham and University of Edinburgh.

“The CRIM considers historical incident data and captures information about the people we serve. This includes where they are located, the types of buildings and environments they occupy and the way that nature may impact them.

“This helps us to identify where our stations and appliances should be based and where to target our prevention activities.”

The public consultation on the proposed SFRS changes runs until September 16.

Public meetings will be held on Tuesday, September 2, from 2-4pm and 6-8pm at Craigintinny Community Centre.