Planning permission has now been granted for a new £5 million fire station and sports and community centre in Toxteth for which Cass Associates has provided planning, architectural and landscape design services.

The ‘Fire Fit’ concept of combining sport, leisure and youth faculties with a fire station is an exciting innovation and builds on a partnership between the Fire Service and Liverpool City Council installing fitness equipment into fire stations for use by local residents.

The project will include a multi purpose sports hall, café, gym and fitness suite, activity and dance studios and a climbing wall. Externally there will be multi-use sports pitches, a teenage chill out zone and extensive landscaped areas for use by the community including a central landscaped courtyard. Intensive consultation with local youth groups and others has been undertaken to guide all aspects of the design.

The building is being designed around environmental principles and will include features such as passive stack ventilation, rainwater recycling, green roof and solar thermal hot water. The building is on a fast track programme with work on site expected to commence in July 2011.