The news that Weston Fire Station will remain open is a win for people power.
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The station’s retained firefighters were going to be relocated to the newly-built station at Abermain, and while Fire and Rescue NSW maintained no jobs would be lost, many people feared that this would be inevitable.
There were also fears that the community’s safety would be at risk due to the extra distance, especially if an incident were in Weston – firefighters would have to travel to Abermain to get onto the truck and back-track to the scene of the emergency.
A short but powerful community campaign appears to have worked, and as Cessnock MP Clayton Barr told the Advertiser yesterday, it might not be a coincidence that the decision to reconsider the station’s future came just days after a new minister for emergency services was appointed.
The Weston community has lost its battle to save services such as the police station and Commonwealth Bank over the years, so it should be overjoyed that it has won this time.
But as long-time resident Pat Maybury said in last week’s Advertiser, “we shouldn’t have to fight all the time to keep things open”.
If anything, regional growth areas like Cessnock should be getting more facilities.
Now Abermain has a brand new, state-of-the-art fire station that houses two fire engines, it should be an opportunity for an expansion of Fire and Rescue services.
There is no denying Abermain and Weston are growth areas, with their affordably-priced homes in close proximity to the Hunter Expressway.
The expressway will become even more accessible today when the new bridge on Frame Drive, Abermain opens.
The re-opening of the bridge is great news for commuters, but not so much for the residents who will have to cope with the increased traffic.
Frame Drive is part of a logical shortcut to the Hunter Expressway’s Loxford exit, via Orange Street, Gingers Lane and Hart Road.
Concerns about the Cessnock Road/Orange Street/Charles Street and the Hart Road/Government Road intersections were raised long before the expressway opened in 2014.
Community safety is paramount – and Cessnock Council must continue to push for funding to upgrade these streets to handle the extra traffic.