Member for Bathurst Paul Toole officially announced on Monday that the new station would be built at 6 Commonwealth Street, just a short distance from Bathurst Base Hospital. 

“We looked at over 20 different sites here in this area and this has been the ideal site,” Mr Toole said.

“It is close to the hospital, it is also central to the highways in this area and it’s about ensuring that our paramedics can also respond to different incidents in a timely manner right across this area.”

The new station will not only service Bathurst, but also be the Central West Zone office and act as a headquarters for paramedics going from Lithgow through to Lake Cargelligo. 

The facility will be fitted out with a regional education centre that provides spaces for practical training, lectures and meetings for paramedics across the Central West.

“When you have a look at Bathurst, that is so important because we have the paramedic school here at Charles Sturt University. It is important that we provide those training and educational opportunities for future paramedics,” Mr Toole said. 

Brad Porter, Zone Manager for NSW Ambulance Central West, said paramedics will be moving from an 88-year-old facility to a modern, spacious station. 

He said paramedics will have better access to their equipment and all the ambulances will be able to be housed indoors as a result of this development. 

“Although the beautiful station here in Bathurst has housed us well, we’ve outgrown it and it really doesn’t accommodate the modern needs that we have as a mobile health district,” he said.

A development application has been lodged with Bathurst Regional Council.

Following its approval and the land being acquired, tenders will be called for the station’s construction. 

Mr Toole couldn’t give an exact time frame for the project, but said it shouldn’t be long before residents start to see action at the Commonwealth Street site.