A SOD-cutting ceremony has officially marked the start of work on a new emergency response centre in Ulverston.

Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for Fire and Rescue, Cllr Barry Doughty turned over the soil to signal that work on the Furness Peninsular Blue Light Hub and improvement works on the A590 Lightburn Road/Daltongate junction has got off the ground.

The local authority has secured £4.6 million from the Department for Communities and Local Government for the Blue Light Hub, a combined emergency response centre within the Furness Peninsular.

Building work on the new facility, which will link into a new access road on the A590, is expected to take nine months to complete.

The Furness Peninsular Blue Light Hub will include:

* A new base for Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service to replace the current facility on The Ellers, Ulverston.

* A new base for the North West Ambulance Service, replacing the current facilities on Victoria Road, Ulverston.

* Facilities for Cumbria Police

* Office accommodation for Cumbria County Council

Cllr Doughty, CCC Cabinet member for Fire and Rescue, said: “I’m absolutely delighted that work is starting on this exciting new emergency response centre for the Furness Peninsular. Our blue light services already have a strong working relationship but this new facility will allow for even closer collaboration between emergency services in the area and provide for more effective and efficient operations across the whole Furness Peninsular.”

Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall said: “The start of work on the hub project marks an important step in the direction of increased ‘Blue Light’ collaboration, and I welcome this development. I am a great believer in the need to work with our partners to improve the service we deliver to our communities. With an increasing demand for some of our services, coupled with the current and expected restrictions on funding, collaboration provides opportunities to truly innovate and save money.”

Sgt Rupert Johnston of Cumbria Police said: “This multi-service hub is an exciting development for Ulverston and the surrounding area. The force will continue to work closely with the other partners as the process continues and its completion will lead to closer working relationships between the core emergency services.”

Work to improve the A590 junction at Lightburn Road/Daltongate started on Monday (Feb 13) and is expected to last for about seven months.

The scheme will provide a new access road opening up employment land south of the A590 opposite the junction with Daltongate, which is allocated in the South Lakeland Local Plan. The new access road will form a fourth arm to the existing A590 and Daltongate junction and will be controlled by traffic lights.