Demolition £259m revamp under way
THE demolition of buildings has begun at the Army’s vehicle storage facility at Ashchurch near Tewkesbury, which marks the beginning of a five-year £259 million revamp of the site, alongside the A46.
The Ministry of Defence said the demolition of the first building signalled the beginning of a two-phase programme that would deliver modern, sustainable, and effective storage and maintenance solutions for the Army’s vehicle and equipment fleet.
Earlier this year military chiefs said they expected the work to be completed in 2027.
Belinda Lunn, senior responsible owner for the army’s Vehicle Storage and Support Programme, said: “It is well known that several buildings are in poor condition, and I look forward to working with our partners to deliver the programme that will return the site to full operating capability.”
The work will provide vehicles with controlled humidity environment (CHE) storage, reducing maintenance costs and unnecessary deterioration caused by extreme drops or rises in temperature, ensuring that the fleet is operationally ready at all times.
Stephen Bunce, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation’s principal project manager, said: “We are delighted to have awarded this multi-million pound project to Skanska to meet the enduring requirements for the Army’s fleet of vehicles.
“The Vehicle Storage and Support Programme is a project which will bring significant new infrastructure to the site in the form of storage, maintenance, inspection and office buildings.
“The Project delivery team consisting of Skanska, Mace and DIO worked together to achieve the customer required contract award date of end May 22.
“Although very early into the project, it is evident that the entire project team is working with the customer and all parties to deliver the project and address any issues that may arise.”
Skanska will deliver the construction and mechanical and electrical engineering for the complex programme that will see demolition of 58 buildings, construction of 12 new buildings and refurbishment of one existing facility, plus renewal of site wide infrastructure.
Once complete, the Ashchurch site will store 4,100 vehicles.
The project will employ up to 400 people, a number of whom are expected to be employed from the Tewkesbury area.
Katy Dowding, Skanska executive vice president of Skanska UK said: “We’re excited to begin demolition on this significant project, as from this point forward, we are on the way to transforming the site into a facility that will protect and futureproof the British Army’s vehicle fleet - and we’re really proud to be a part of that.”
As well as delivering CHE vehicle storage for military vehicles, the project will also provide dedicated inspection and maintenance spaces.
Construction of new infrastructure is expected to start in February 2023.
Solar panels will be installed that will provide a large portion of the site with electricity, meeting the sustainable energy requirement and contributing to the drive to be carbon neutral as a site.