Kier/Balfour Beatty JV secures RAF Lyneham MOD contract
Kier Group plc today announces that its Hercules 50:50 joint venture (JV) with Balfour Beatty plc has been awarded a £121m contract over two years by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for the first stage of work on a new Defence College of Technical Training at RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire.
Hercules was awarded the contract by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation DIO), which manages and maintains land and property for the MOD. The refurbished college will provide training facilities in one location for all three Armed Forces for the first time in the UK. The development will provide new single living accommodation for trainees, purpose-built teaching facilities, a large outdoor training area and a public museum for the Army's Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME). Much of the redevelopment will consist of the upgrade and refurbishment of existing buildings. The JV will refurbish approximately 73,000 sq.m of existing building stock and construct 56,000 sq.m of new build. This will comprise detailed design and construction including demolition, the construction of new buildings, refurbishment of existing buildings and landscaping.
The new build will include but is not limited to Classroom and Training spaces, Single Living Accommodation (SLA), Senior Non Commissioned Officer (SNCO) and Junior Ranks Mess and the Gymnasium.
The first phase of the development is scheduled to start early next year, and will be completed by the autumn of 2015 when the first staff and students will arrive at the college. The construction of the new college will create around 900 construction jobs at its peak.
Paul Sheffield, CEO of Kier Group plc, said: "We are delighted to be working on this exciting project to provide state-of-the-art facilities for the MOD. The contract will bring together Kier and Balfour Beatty's strong construction expertise and create a large number of jobs in the local area."
David Holmes, DIO project leader said: "DIO is pleased to award this contract, which is an important milestone in the development of the new College. This state of the art tri-service facility will help us support the Armed Forces by achieving our aim of providing the best possible training facilities as they prepare for operations."
Commodore David Elford, Commandant of the Defence College of Technical Training, said: "This is the first stage of the development of the Defence College of Technical Training at Lyneham, which will provide a home for the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers when they move from Arborfield and Bordon in 2015. The move will provide more modern facilities for staff and students, adopting modern teaching methods combined with traditional military training to enhance and reduce the training experience for the trainees."
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