News

Aldershot barracks ready for uplift

By Stephanie Cockroft
January 17, 2012

THE latest phase in a multi-million pound project to transform Army life in Aldershot’s military town is due to start this month.

Millions of pounds is being pumped into living quarters on the Garrison as part of a 35-year project to improve homes and services for soldiers across Aldershot and the Salisbury Plain.

The next phase of work is due to start on Lille Barracks, which sits protected by high-security wire behind Lynchford Road.

The work will involve four accommodation buildings, used by junior ranks, being upgraded on a rolling programme until work is completed in March 2014.

This means three of the accommodation blocks will always be in use.

The staged refurbishment will see Grenadier Guards returning to the barracks after their planned six-month depl-oyment in Afghanistan from March, coming home to plush new en-suite facilities.

The Lille Barracks, built in the 1990s, is now arranged in clusters of four-bedrooms with no en-suite facilities.

Contractor ISG, which has been chosen for the latest project by lead company Aspire Defence, said each building will be changed into three wings over three storeys. Each wing will be made up of seven en-suite bedrooms sharing a bathroom, kitchen and common room.

The work is part of a refurbishment programme known as Project Allenby/Connaught, which has been underway since 2006.

The project is a long-term private finance initiative (PFI) by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to spend £8 million upgrading, knocking down and building the living quarters, working accommodation, mes-ses and headquarters buildings in the two Garrisons.

Paul Munro, spokesman for the project, said the scheme – which is spending £390m in Aldershot alone – will eventually provide 100 new buildings on the Garrison, while another 36 buildings will be refurbished.

Some of those are already well underway, with Wellington House an example of a project already finished.

In total, 150 buildings will also be knocked down, making way for the MoD to hand over land for the Aldershot Urban Extension (AUE).

The programme will also herald the end of barracks dormitories, with 2,800 single en-suite rooms being built across Aldershot.

En-suite bedrooms are now the required Army standard, Mr Munro said.

“The work is spread out all over the place but the aim is to reduce the footprint of the Garrison,” he said.

“Some of the buildings are quite new but some are in a dreadful state after years of neglect.”

The Lille Barracks refurbishment will also include a new baggage store, utility room and drying room.

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OH God not another PFI carve up. Another of those fifty quid to change a light bulb enterprises. A 35 year project to improve accomodation? There wont be an army by then. Is this another Annington homes deal where the mod under the last tory government sold off married quarters too cheaply only to lease them back and bear the cost of maintenance and where the ceo of said company has waltzed of with with a sum in excess £17 million in wages and bonuses for doing what?. "Married quarters not up to scratch take it up with the mod we only lease the property to them," thats not a bad deal for Annington or its board of ex army servicemen and women and we are not talking squaddies here, or for the ultimate owners the japanese bank of Nomura that actually through its off shore status pays little or no tax on its operating profits. Now more sticky fingers are about to have a delve into the Mods near empty pockets because of the poor business acumin of those at the MOD, one only has to look at the competency of the procurement office to see the kind of idiots that are negotiating these deals. Lambs to the slaughter. So lets not get too excited by another costly enterprise for the taxpayer eh.