DIO marks project milestone with completion of 500th building

Soldiers at Warminster Garrison are benefiting from new, state-of-the-art accommodation as the Defence Infrastructure Organisation’s (DIO) Allenby Connaught project celebrates the completion of its 500thbuilding.

Working with industry partner Aspire Defence Ltd, DIO reached the milestone through Project Allenby Connaught (PAC), an £8 billion construction and facilities management project.

The building is one of four 48-man accommodation blocks completed at the garrison to be used by personnel attending courses at the Land Warfare Centre and means students will now be able to enjoy a high standard of single en-suite bedrooms during their stay.

The blocks at Warminster were the last of the 258 living accommodation modular buildings to be delivered through the ambitious PAC which, since 2006, has seen a comprehensive rebuild of the four garrisons across Salisbury Plain and at Aldershot.

Each of the buildings delivered at Warminster and across the project will be maintained to their existing condition throughout the life of the contract, to 2041, together with the full spectrum of services required by each garrison.

Lt Col (Rtd) Nigel Lewis, DIO’s PAC Project Manager, said: “DIO’s priority is to support the Armed Forces as they prepare for operations.

“The delivery of 500 buildings in seven years is an amazing achievement, particularly as many were highly complex refurbishments of architecturally significant buildings.Completing the demolition and building works within existing garrison boundaries while the resident units carried on their normal working routines added further complexities.

“The whole project has been an outstanding success and a tribute to the hard work and close partnership that has developed between DIO, Aspire Defence Limited, the Garrison Management Teams and the service men and women within the .”

Peter Smart, Chief Executive for Aspire said:

“This is an important milestone and a great credit to everyone involved. However, the real benefit is that these 500 new or refurbished buildings have gone a long way to achieving our aim of making soldiers’ lives better. Soldiers who previously lived in old accommodation are now seeing these improvements and that really is a cause for celebration.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

1. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is part of the MOD. We are responsible for managing and maintaining land and properties, as well as providing related support services, to meet the current and future needs of the MOD and personnel at home and abroad, and to support current operations.
2. Our work includes providing, supporting and improving: operational units; single living and service family accommodation; training areas and historic military sites. DIO actively manages these and supporting services, such as soft facilities management and guarding, to ensure the needs of Defence are met, value for money is achieved, heritage protected and environmental goals achieved.
3. Project Allenby Connaught aims to make life better for thousands of soldiers by providing    modern, high quality, fully serviced, purpose-built living and working accommodation. The contract was awarded to Aspire Defence Limited, a joint venture between Carillion and KBR, in April 2006.In addition to a £1.45 billion, eight-year construction programme, the project encompasses a wide range of support services including catering, cleaning, transport, estate management, document production and handling, stores and waste disposal. The project has a total through life value of some £8 billion and covers army garrisons across Salisbury Plain and at Aldershot.
4. With picture (ltr) - Warrant Officer Darren Hinchliffe, Richard Tindal Senior Project Manager for Aspire Defence Capital Works and LCpl Mark Williams celebrate the completion of the 500th building. Crown Copyright MOD/2013

Press enquiries to Emma Sloper, Communications Officer on 0121 311 2418 or email emma.sloper100@mod.uk

DIO website: www.gov.uk/dio