A FORMER firefighter stepped back in time to speak out against plans which could see the county council turn the old fire station in Bell Lane, Studley into a halfway house for people with challenging behaviour.
Des Crow told Tuesday’s parish council meeting that an old covenant on the land meant it wasn’t the Warwickshire’s to dispose of in the first place.
Under plans put forward by Homelife Ltd, a care service offering support to people with learning difficulties and sensory impairment, the fire station would be demolished and six one bedroom flats built instead.
Mr Crow explained that back in the 1950s the fire station had stood by The Swan pub in the High Street.
The county council had wanted to expand it, but the site was too small.
As a result the land in in Bell Lane, which was owned by Jack Thompson who then also ran Studley Brewery and the Bell pub, was made the subject of a compulsory purchase order (CPO) – for a pittance, councillors heard.
Councillors noted that land purchased under a CPO, if it ceased to be used by for the reason for the order, should be offered back to the original owner or their successors, and that a relative of Mr Thompson lived at Astwood Bank in Redditch.
Mr Crow was supported by Councillor Brian Dixon who said: “Me and my family were great friends of Jack Thompson and the land was taken off him by compulsory purchase and if anyone should get the land it is the Thompson family, and if it’s still for village use then it should be retained for village use.”
Notwithstanding the covenant, parish councillors were horrified when they saw plans for the proposed new building, which looked more like a prison block than a welcoming home.
Councillors objected on the grounds of core planning principles of economic, social and environmental impact. They also questioned the ownership of the land.
