British Army announces 491 new bedspaces for soldiers

• 5 barracks are set to benefit under the Army’s Single Living Accommodation (SLA) Programme at Bicester, Camberley, Cottesmore, Blackpool and Ipswich

• Part of a £1.2bn investment programme delivering 8,500 bedspaces over the next 10 years

Contracts for 491 new bedspaces have been announced under the Army’s Single Living Accommodation (SLA) Programme, which is investing £1.2bn to deliver 8,500 SLA bedspaces over the next 10 years.

The contracts have been awarded to Reds10 and ESS Modular. Construction will commence in Autumn 2023 and is expected to complete in early 2025, delivering new build SLA for the British Army and on behalf of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation at five sites:

• St George’s Barracks, Bicester (69 bedspaces)
• Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Camberley (110 bedspaces)
• Kendrew Barracks, Cottesmore (75 bedspaces)
• Weeton Barracks, Blackpool (69 bedspaces)
• Flying Station Wattisham, Ipswich (168 bedspaces)

Major General Richard Clements CBE, Director of Basing & Infrastructure, said:

The contract announcement for new Single Living Accommodation at five additional barracks is really good news for our people. This next phase of construction will expand on the provision of new bedspaces already being delivered at other sites across the Army estate.

We have listened to soldiers’ experiences about living on camp, and their feedback is reflected in the design of these buildings, as we strive to continuously improve living conditions for our people.

Each new build SLA will offer single en suite bedrooms, kitchen diners and communal space. The accommodation will use modern methods of construction, incorporating solar panels and the latest materials to support the Army’s net zero targets. Rather than a lengthy onsite build, the companies will use 3D offsite modular construction, incorporating features based on feedback from soldiers including soundproofing, floor to ceiling windows, and individual thermostats with SMART monitors (BEMS - Building Energy Management Systems).

Warren Webster, Defence Infrastructure Organisation, MPP Programme Director – Army, said:

Supporting the Army in delivering improved accommodation is a priority for DIO. This is the culmination of a significant collaborative effort and with the award of the contracts, we are now in the delivery phase and well on the way to making these much-needed bedspaces a reality.

These latest contract awards mark the second wave of construction under the Army’s SLA Programme. This first phase, due to complete in 2024, is already underway at Kinloss, Moray; Beacon Barracks, Stafford; Imjin Barracks in Gloucester; and Trenchard Lines, Upavon. Future delivery will include additional SLA at Catterick and at Baker Barracks, Thorney Island.

Over the same timeframe as the Army SLA Programme, 8,000 bedspaces are being delivered under the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Army Programme. This brings the combined provision of bedspaces for soldiers over 10 years to 16,500.