Demolition work Base to replace buildings in £270m revamp plan
MOST of the buildings at the military base at Ashchurch are set to be demolished as part of a massive revamp.
The Ministry of Defence has submitted a planning application to Tewkesbury Borough Council for its vehicle storage, repair and maintenance depot at Ashchurch.
Military bosses revealed last summer that the site, which houses thousands of vehicles and hosts hundreds of workers, would get a £270million revamp and would stay open until at least 2040.
Now a report within the planning application has revealed that the poor condition of some of the buildings means the project is an urgent one.
Work could begin next year and see most of the buildings being demolished and replaced with new ones.
The report, on behalf of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, said: “It is well documented that a high number of existing buildings on site are in a poor state of repair and have recently been found to be non-compliant with relevant health and safety standards.
“Furthermore, asbestos is prominent on site due to the age of the buildings, this must be suitably removed and disposed of.
“As a result, some of the buildings are no longer usable, which has significantly impacted on the day to day running of the Ashchurch facility.
“There is an urgent need for the comprehensive redevelopment of the site, including demolition, refurbishment and replacement of buildings on site.
“The proposed redevelopment will enable the site to operate more efficiently and extend the lifetime of the depot.”
It adds that the proposal is to demolish the majority of the buildings on the site, which is off the A46 and close to junction nine of the M5 near Tewkesbury.
Twelve new buildings would be built, three would undergo minor refurbishment and the vehicles testing area and route would be moved. The new set-up would include 10,000 sqm of solar panels. The development would provide space for the humidity-controlled storage of just over 4,100 vehicles.
The existing buildings were constructed using a mixture of brick, metal, asbestos sheeting and steel frames, much of which dates back to the 1940s and 1950s.
Officials say the application seeks to deal with the refurbishment of the storage facility only and is not related to future plans to release some land at the site for housing. There are 580 staff at the base – a mixture of service personnel, civil servants and contractors.