Safety issues over bus depot plans

London Fire Brigade (LFB) have raised fire safety issues over plans for a multiple high-rise block development that could eventually have 190 electric buses in a basement depot.

Proposals for the Broadwalk shopping centre and nearby area in Edgware include building more than 3,300 homes and relocating the existing Transport for London (TfL) bus station.

Concerns raised by LFB include risks to the structural integrity of the building if a fire broke out in the depot, prompting a community group to call the scheme a ‘ticking time bomb’.

The developer, Ballymore, said it would not permit any electric vehicles ‘unless and until’ all relevant authorities had approved the design.