An MP has intervened to speed up a delayed project to upgrade an ambulance service depot.
West Suffolk MP Nick Timothy is contacting West Suffolk Council to try and resolve the hold-up to achieving a new electricity sub-station at Barton Mills ambulance depot, run by the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
Planning approval for a new electricity sub-station was secured in October 2022, but Mr Timothy said work had been held up over a land issue.
Nick Timothy, MP for West Suffolk, with deputy head of clinical operations Ant Brett (left) and estates manager Sean O’Sullivan, from the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Picture: Supplied by Nick Timothy’s office
More recently, the trust applied to West Suffolk Council to a build a new garage and four EV charging bays at the station by the Fiveways roundabout, in Barton Mills, near Mildenhall.
After visiting the Barton Mills depot last week, Mr Timothy is writing to West Suffolk Council’s planning department to ask whether it can help resolve the hold-up.
Mr Timothy said: “The team at Barton Mills are working day in and day out to keep ambulances in good condition while doing all they can to implement the NHS target.
“The depot needs a new sub-station so it can get on with electrifying the ambulance fleet. It’s frustrating that this work has been delayed for so long.
“I am writing to West Suffolk Council to ask what can be done to resolve this. I also hope that the more recent planning proposals can be approved quickly.”
The ambulance service and West Suffolk Council have been approached for comment.