A planning application has been entered with a bid to to create a purpose-built Make Ready Centre and regional Hazardous Area Response Team Unit (HART) to be based in Crawley. If permission is granted, the new building will house training and meeting facilities and will be an area all ambulance crews go to before starting and finishing their shifts. The new centre would mean ambulance jobs in Gatwick that currently are based at a temporary site, will be shifted to the new building in Crawley.

If all goes to plan this new centre should be up and running by 2016, and it's anticipated that all ambulance teams from around the Gatwick area will be based in the new building.

Creating a new purpose built centre for ambulance staff also means new job opportunities might become available. There is the potential to create a number of new jobs in the Crawley and surrounding Gatwick area. More staff will be employed on dedicated cleaning and maintenance teams, to look after the ambulances and ensure they are ready to go. There will also be a team of vehicle maintenance staff to check over the ambulances to prevent any vehicle break downs.

All staff will start and finish their shifts at the new centre, as well as responding to calls from a network of Ambulance Community Response Posts, that will be spread across a number of towns in the Gatwick area. It's hoped that the new set up will improve ambulance services in the area and will make responding to emergencies more efficient.

Keep your eyes peeled for more updates on this new centre and the creation of new jobs in Gatwick as a result of it.