East Midlands Ambulance Service asks East Lindsey District Council for permission to expand Horncastle station

East Midlands Ambulance Service has applied to expand its existing ambulance station in Horncastle into a larger, more eco-friendly unit.

EMAS is a 999 care provider for almost five million people across the East Midlands, answering emergency calls at an average rate of one every 25 seconds.

Headquarters for the trust are based in Nottingham, but station sites can be found across Lincolnshire to ensure the coverage of the area is met by the location and number of ambulances across Lincolnshire.

A unit on Boston Road Industrial Estate is already home to an ambulance station operated by East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust, but units I and J could soon be used to extend the emergency service capacity.

This new proposal, submitted to East Lindsey District Council, is for a move to a larger, 1,512 square metre site that is currently forming vacant industrial units.

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It is hoped that this extension would provide greater staff facilities to enable emergency situations to be handled quickly and more effectively.

Details within the application also include electric vehicle charging provisions, solar panels on the roof of the building and a new air source heat pump — three of the major ways to cut emissions in modern society.

It would, however, see the removal of three of the ten existing parking spaces at the site, leaving it with just seven in total, though two extra spaces will be made for light goods vehicles.

The station would, as expected, be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A decision will be made on the application by East Lindsey District Council in the coming weeks.