North Somerset Council’s emergency control centre, housed at the Castlewood offices in Clevedon, is preparing to relocate as the building nears closure. This facility plays a crucial role in maintaining essential council services during major emergencies, yet many residents are unaware of its existence.
Castlewood is equipped with multiple bunkers: one supplies fuel to sustain power generation for the building itself, while another ensures the council’s vehicle fleet remains operational during fuel shortages. These measures help safeguard the council’s emergency response capabilities in critical situations.
With the impending closure of Castlewood, the council must move the emergency control centre to a new site that can independently generate power during a national outage or other disruptions. While the building remains operational, the control centre will continue using it until it is decommissioned.
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The council’s audit committee has been informed that the highways and waste transfer depot at Hutton Moor in Weston-super-Mare is under consideration as the new location. This site will feature a backup power system powered by solar panels, offering sustainable resilience.
Alex Stafford, the council’s emergency and business continuity manager, highlighted a potential risk during the transition period, noting there might be a gap between Castlewood’s closure and the Hutton Moor site becoming fully operational.
Stafford also emphasized that, nationally, the highest emergency risks include pandemics and widespread power outages, with pandemic risk ranked number one in impact and likelihood. Locally, coastal flooding stands out as a significant threat. The council recently participated in a national pandemic exercise and undertook a coastal flooding response test based on recent storm events, underscoring its preparedness to handle emergencies effectively.