Rescue teams separate on £1.8m new base plan
![2030 Architects An artist's impression of the rescue centre. It is a long, two-storey, orange building. A sign on the front reads: "Penrith Mountain Rescue [and] COMRU." There are tall doors and a line of windows on both floors. It sits in a white and red stone courtyard surrounded by trees.](https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/6281/live/31679930-ff34-11ef-8bc4-0f1da5ca8de4.jpg.webp)
2030 ArchitectsTwo rescue teams who planned to create a joint base have separated so their projects can be completed "cheaper and quicker".
Plans for a £1.8m base in Penrith, Cumbria, for the town's mountain rescue team (MRT) and the Cumbria Ore Mines Rescue Unit (COMRU) were approved by Westmorland and Furness Council in March.
Penrith MRT said it was a "difficult decision" but that its proposed new base at Eden Business Park could be "significantly smaller" not having to accommodate so many or such large vehicles as COMRU needed.
COMRU chair Paul Witheridge said plans had "regrettably been forced to change" but the organisation would eventually move forward with a base of its own.
The teams had planned to jointly fundraise for the new site.
Penrith MRT said it was reviewing design implications and the impact of the decision on its current planning approval.
A statement read: "The smaller building will be cheaper and should be able to be delivered significantly quicker."
'Joint decision'
Penrith MRT said COMRU's requirements from a base were "simpler" as they essentially just needed a large garage to house vehicles.
COMRU operates Cumbria-wide and does not have an operating base, so it currently stores equipment and vehicles at members' houses.
Witheridge said: "Increasing costs and an extending timescale required a revision of the project.
"It was agreed by both teams that for either organisation to move forward positively it would be best to treat each team's needs separately."
The team, which carries out underground and restricted access rescues, said it was "early days" and it did not yet have a group established to look at all options for a base.
It said its requirements were limited, so it was possible that an existing industrial or agricultural building would be sufficient.
"We continue to work alongside Penrith MRT to maximise any future opportunities that could be of mutual benefit," Witheridge added.
Penrith MRT chair John Carlin said the fundraising effort "really starts now" to provide an "effective rescue service for the local community and visitors to the area".
