BICESTER residents are set to get better ambulance cover after the South Central Ambulance Service announced it was relocating to the town.

Talisman Business Park will become the new headquarters for the service from June 1.

Initially the corporate management team a divisional administration for Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire will move into the former Powerhouse building.

Later this summer the emergency operations centre and patient transport and out-of-hours services will also move to the site from current offices at Deanshanger, Milton Keynes and the Churchill Hospital, Oxford.

Over the past few months the two-storey block, off London Road, has been completely refurbished and re-named Northern House.

A small number of jobs are likely to be created due to the move as not all staff want to relocate.

Will Hancock, chief executive of South Central Ambulance Service NHS Trust, said: “This is a very important development for SCAS since it brings together all of our senior management team under one roof as well as providing new, modern office accommodation for the people managing ambulance services in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

“Centralising under one roof will help us to build on the 20 per cent performance improvement we achieved last year.

“I know that all staff who move to work at Bicester will welcome the new, efficient and comfortable working environment.”

People won’t see ambulances parked at the new site but the first response team, known as responders, and paramedics will be based at Northern House.