A vast facility that will store thousands of British military vehicles is to be built in Gloucestershire, the Government has announced.
Swedish construction giant Skanska has been awarded a £259m contract by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to carry out the work at the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) base in Ashchurch, near Tewkesbury.
The contract was awarded through the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), with construction firm Mace providing technical services on the scheme.
While the majority of the Army’s vehicle fleet is either on or training for operations, large numbers of vehicles are centrally stored to ensure that they are ready to deploy when needed.
Once built, the new facility will store the British Army's 4,100-strong fleet in a special controlled humidity environment.
Warren Webster, DIO’s programme director for Army Major Projects and Programmes, said: "It’s great to see this project take a major step forward as we award the contract. This important work will future-proof the Army’s vehicle storage and maintenance facilities at Ashchurch for years to come."
Demolitions will begin this September enabling regeneration of the site, with all construction activity expected to be complete by 2027.
Katy Dowding, executive vice president of Skanska UK, said: "We’re delighted to continue supporting modernisation of the defence estate following completion of Worthy Down in 2021, so we’re excited to help transform this site to protect and maintain this vital asset for the Army."
The project will employ around 400 people, with a number expected to be hired from the Tewkesbury area, the MoD said.
There will be a range of employment opportunities available including demolition, groundworks, structural steelwork and scaffolding. The project will also support 10 apprenticeships.
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