PLANNERS have given the go-ahead for York’s new ambulance station – which could be ready for action by next autumn.

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) is preparing to wave goodbye to its current home at Dundas Street in the city centre as part of a new “hub and spoke system” designed to allow it to react more quickly to emergency calls.

Paramedics will initially switch to a temporary base alongside the A19 at Rawcliffe Ings – comprising five semi-permanent buildings which are being prepared for use by ambulance crews - and YAS is aiming to vacate its current outdated city HQ, which will eventually be bulldozed as part of the on-hold Hungate development, next month. Now it can also start making plans to relocate to a new permanent station on the site of a former City of York Council-run day care centre at Yearsley Bridge, in Huntington Road, after the scheme was approved by the local authority.

It means the facility could be up and running by next September, subject to certain planning conditions being met.

“This is very good news for the service,” said Vince Larvin, YAS’ assistant director of operations for North Yorkshire.

“Both the temporary move to Rawcliffe Ings and the new permanent station at Yearsley Bridge fit perfectly into our strategy of delivering dynamic resources right across the city and its surrounding areas.

“We have needed a new ambulance station in York for some time. When Dundas Street opened, it was in an ideal position, but the city has changed and grown around it and demand has altered, so although it has served us well, it is no longer feasible for us to remain there.

“Moving to Yearsley Bridge means we will still be close to the city centre and even closer to the hospital, where there is obviously a lot of activity. But we feel the plans we have put in place will allow us to meet our response times more effectively, as well as to provide roving ambulance cover across York.”

The “hub and spoke” system used to shake up ambulance provision in the city has also seen two new 24-hour stand-by points opened in recent months at the York St John University site on Windmill Lane, off Hull Road, and at Acomb Library.

Paramedics are based there to make it easier for them to meet tough Government targets which mean Category A situations – relating to injuries classed as life-threatening – must be responded to within eight minutes of a call being received.

“It’s the first time we have used this concept, but we are now looking at the possibility of rolling out a similar programme of stand-by points across North Yorkshire,” said Vince.

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