Clapham Fire Station

The leader of Lambeth council Lib Peck has called on the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to rethink plans to close Clapham fire station.

A meeting was held earlier this month where local residents voiced their anger. When a helicopter crashed in Vauxhall last Wednesday, Clapham fire station was one of the fire stations in Lambeth to send out fire crews.

Lib Peck said in a letter to the mayor: “Five days ago our borough experienced a fatal helicopter crash in Vauxhall. Fire crews from Clapham, Lambeth and Brixton fire stations played a vital role in tackling the fire and protecting the public. In light of the tragedy at Vauxhall we believe it is vital that local fire stations, including Clapham, are protected to ensure the fastest possible response times to emergencies”.

“Given the density of population and the number of fire hotspots in the surrounding area we believe it is extremely unwise to consider closing Clapham fire station”.

A spokesperson from the Clapham Labour group said “We are continuing to voice the concerns of local people and will be developing our case against the closure through our Save Clapham Fire Station campaign.”

Mr Johnson called the campaigners’ bluff last week by threatening to force a judicial review unless the London Fire Emergency and Planning Authority backed down on their plans to block a consultation on the London Safety Plan. In an emergency meeting on Tuesday the authority were forced to withdraw their proposal.

The campaign are planning to continue to show their opposition however by organising a demonstration on Clapham Common on Saturday, 16 March with an aim to show the force of feeling in the local area against the mayor’s plans.