Hertfordshire County Council's Cabinet has approved plans to redevelop the Joint Emergency Services Academy (JESA) in north Herts.

The overall project is set to cost approximately £34m, making it the largest county council-led estates project in recent years.

At this primary stage, cabinet has approved the use of £600,000 to develop the proposals to detailed design stage which will help confirm the expected project expenditure and support the move to the next procurement stage.

Leader of Hertfordshire County Council, councillor David Williams, said: "The redevelopment of the Joint Emergency Services Academy in Stevenage demonstrates the county council and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner's shared ambition to continue to provide first-class emergency services training in Hertfordshire.

"The improved, state-of-the-art training facilities will in turn create an even better emergency response to help our blue lights services continue to protect Hertfordshire residents."

The site, in Stevenage, which is owned by the county council, became a joint training centre for Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) and Hertfordshire Constabulary in March 2019 as part of a commitment to increased emergency services collaboration made by Hertfordshire County Council and the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The current JESA site at Longfield in Stevenage was built as a primary school in 1962 and was converted for use as the Fire Service Training Centre in 1992.

Chief Fire Officer Darryl Keen said: "As the nature of the incidents we respond to continues to change, the fire service is committed to investing in training for new and existing staff.

"This ambition relies on centralising fire and police training at a modern, fit-for-purpose facility that will help to maintain the health, safety, and wellbeing of firefighters and police officers, and in turn, Hertfordshire residents."

Since the training centre at Longfield opened its doors to police colleagues, approximately 95 police trainees and more than 100 fire trainees have graduated from the site, and many more have visited to refresh their training.

Police and Crime Commissioner David Lloyd said: "Closer collaboration between Police and Fire brings enhanced benefits for the public's safety.

"Training together on the same site will improve the assistance given to those who need emergency help.

"This facility is proof of the commitment from both parties to follow the agreed vision for an even closer working relationship between the police and the fire service."

The site currently contains several buildings which are in urgent need of attention to ensure the ongoing delivery of safe and high-quality emergency response training.

Chief Constable at Hertfordshire Constabulary, Charlie Hall, added: "There has never been a more important time to focus on the training and development of our people.

"The plans reflect the ambition of all partners to maximise on the opportunities that co-located learning can bring."