ALONG with several members of the public I attended a meeting at the town hall in Wallasey to listen to the debate regarding the closure of the fire station in Upton and replacing it with a new fire station on Green Belt in Saughall Massie.

Everyone who knows the location will be aware of the multi-various problems real and potential, associate with the new site: the lanes are narrow with acute bends; they are used to transport slow moving agricultural equipment and livestock; traffic is heavy in rush hour; the possibility of overtaking is not an option; the site is next door to a housing complex for the frail and elderly; the lanes are often impassable in severe weather conditions.

The argument for the building on Green Belt in Saughall Massie was based on the premise that response time would be reduced by two minutes to West Kirby and by one minute to Upton.

Given the multi- various probabilities involved how could anyone come to such a precise conclusion?

On average 65% of all calls come from within Upton and its environs.

Arrowe Park Hospital consisting of 900 beds is only minutes away from the Upton Fire Station. Upton is densely populated area.

There are two estates and several multi storied flats within its catchment area.

None of the above appeared to be of importance to fire officer Dan Stevens.

His argument for the 'special circumstances' for building on Green Belt was quite frankly risible and built on quicksand.

With one or two exceptions the standard debate within the chamber that evening was poor bordering on embarrassing.

Party politics and not judicial judgement was the order of the debate.

Planning permission should be withdrawn for now and further consultation should be carried out a more measured, informed and less confrontational manner.

We are talking about long-term public health and safety, not petty egotistical whims or political one- up-man-ship.

Mrs Stephanie Miller, Upton