- New Longtown facility will store mission critical equipment,
from body armour to spare parts.
- 450 people employed during construction, delivering on the
ambitions of the Defence Industrial Strategy and the Government's
Plan for Change.
- On-site rail network to ensure faster delivery to frontline
forces and reduce costs.
The UK Armed Forces will benefit from better equipment support
and delivery to the frontline as a new defence storage facility
opens in Cumbria, with 450 people employed during construction
and 25 new permanent jobs created.
The Longtown Defence Storage
Facility – the size of 12 football pitches – will streamline
supply chain operations and provide safe and secure storage for
mission-critical equipment, from body armour to spare parts. It
is built alongside the existing Defence Munitions Longtown, which
supports 62 jobs and stores general munitions.
The new building was constructed by McLaughlin & Harvey,
employing 450 people for the build, and will secure 25 new jobs
in Cumbria, showcasing defence's role as an engine for growth and
delivering on the Government's Plan for Change by helping to
rebalance economic opportunities across the UK.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry opened the new site today (14
October), meeting staff and seeing first-hand how the site will
streamline the UK's defence logistics infrastructure.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, MP said:
"The opening of this state-of-the-art facility in Longtown will
enhance our ability to store and deploy critical defence
equipment to the frontline. It's an excellent example of how
we're modernising our defence logistics while supporting jobs
here in Cumbria – supporting our Armed Forces and boosting
warfighting readiness.
"450 people were employed building this new facility, once again
demonstrating how defence is driving economic growth across the
UK and delivering the Government's Plan for Change.”
The new Longtown facility incorporates the latest storage
technologies and security systems, enabling efficient management
of defence assets while maintaining the highest standards of
protection. It will support military operations across the UK and
internationally, strengthening defence readiness. The UK remains
steadfast in its commitment to our armed forces, with defence
spending rising to 2.6% of GDP by 2027 and an ambition to reach
3% in the next Parliament.
Built for the future, the new facility will also ensure assets
and capabilities at existing Defence Fulfilment Centres in
Donnington, Shropshire and Bicester, Oxfordshire are more readily
available to meet surges in demand. Improvements made through the
project to the existing rail service attached to the Longtown
site supports the Defence Industrial Strategy's goal of
building a more resilient, agile supply chain by reducing
costs, lorry journeys and emissions.
Lieutenant General , Interim CEO of Defence
Equipment & Support, said:
"The Longtown Defence Storage Facility is a testament to
DE&S's dedication to providing exceptional support to our
Armed Forces. This modern storage capability will significantly
enhance our logistics operations, ensuring we can deliver the
right equipment to the right place at the right time and when it
is not in use store it safely, securely and sustainably. The
facility represents best practice in defence storage and the
whole team can take pride in this collective achievement."
The contract with McLaughlin & Harvey for the build of the
Longtown Defence Storage Facility created approximately 150
highly skilled jobs in Scotland and a further 300 in the North of
England, helping to grow the economy on both sides of the border.
Embracing sustainability, the new facility uses green
technologies and practices, including energy-efficient lighting,
automated climate control and recyclable packaging solutions.
There will also be a dedicated nature reserve areas and rainwater
will be recycled for washroom facilities.
