Fire Service partners with local business park to improve workplace safety

03/12/2025

Fire safety officers have been working proactively to support local businesses in keeping their premises safe, through a new partnership with a major business park operator. 

Officers from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service visited Grovemere Property Limited at Lancaster Way Business Park, in Ely, to carry out a comprehensive fire safety audit. The inspection was conducted to ensure that the premises had the necessary fire safety measures and were compliant with the requirements of the Fire Safety Order. 

During the visit, officers provided advice and recommendations to help Grovemere strengthen arrangements with their tenants, ensuring they understand and meet their fire safety responsibilities. This work is aimed at reducing the risk of fire and improving safety for everyone on site. 

Grovemere Property Limited is not only the owner and landlord of the business park based at Lancaster Way but also manages several other business parks across the county. The successful partnership approach will be extended to these additional sites. 

Watch Commander Leon Collins, one of the Service’s Fire Protection Officers that carried out the audit, said: “Most fires our crews attend in non-domestic properties occur in industrial and business units across the county. It is therefore vital that we work closely with the business community to help them lower their fire risk as much as possible. Our partnership with Grovemere enables us to provide essential fire safety education that can be shared with their tenants, helping reduce fire risk even before we visit to inspect the individual premises.” 

Following the audit, fire safety officers will be organising free Fire Safety Presentation for business owners to attend, introducing the basics of Fire Risk Assessment and offering practical guidance. They will also arrange visits to premises across the Ely site, along with other Grovemere owned business parks, as part of the ongoing collaboration. 

Leon added: “We want to engage with business owners more broadly across the county to highlight their duties under the Fire Safety Order and to encourage them to attend our free Fire Safety Presentations. By increasing awareness and understanding of their responsibilities, we aim to support businesses in keeping their premises, staff, and visitors as fire safe as possible.” 

Thomas Brand, Managing Director of Grovemere Property Limited, added: “We have been extremely impressed by the proactive approach of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service and the development of this new partnership. In today’s increasingly compliance-focused environment, undertaking a comprehensive fire safety audit is not only sensible but essential to meeting the requirements of the Fire Safety Order. 

“With more than 95 companies operating on Lancaster Way Business Park, reducing fire risk is vital for protecting people, safeguarding property, and meeting the expectations of insurers — all of which contributes to real peace of mind. 

“Grovemere Property Limited wholeheartedly recommends working in partnership with the Fire Protection team, and we are keen to see more businesses across our business park get involved. The free Fire Safety Presentations being offered are an excellent opportunity to learn, ask questions, and ensure your organisation is fulfilling its responsibilities.  

“We encourage all businesses and tenants based on Lancaster Way Business Park to take advantage of these sessions.” 

More information about keeping businesses fire safe, including how to reserve a place at a Fire Safety Presentation, can be found in the Business Safety section.