€305 million military base contract awarded

Skanska UK has secured a £259 million (€305 million) contract for the delivery of a Vehicle Storage Support Programme (VSSP) at a military base in Gloucestershire.

Skanska will work to get the site back to full operational capacity. (Photo: Skanska)

Awarded by the British Ministry of Defence, the VSSP will see Skanska update the existing structures and build new infrastructure at the Aschurch base in Tewkesbury, located south of Birmingham.

Designed to ensure the “operational readiness of the Army’s vehicles by minimising the need for maintenance”, the works will be carried out alongside technical services company Mace, with the aim of providing “modern and effective storage and maintenance solutions” for military vehicles.

The VSSP project, contracted via the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), will house 4,100 of the British Army’s land vehicles a Controlled Humidity Environment.

Belinda Lunn, Senior Responsible Owner for VSSP, said, “We are very excited to be working with Skanska to deliver this project which will bring the Ashchurch site back up to full operating capability.

Katy Dowding, Executive Vice President, Skanska UK, added, “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.”

Demolition works at the base are scheduled to begin in September of this year, with full completion of the project expected in 2027. According to Skanska, around 400 people - many of whom will be from the Tewkesbury area - will be employed at the height of the project’s construction phase.

Steve Holbrook, Managing Director for Skanska UK’s construction arm, said, “We’re also proud to continue to help drive greener solutions as part of this complex project and plan to make significant use of modern methods of construction to drive down carbon emissions.”