Aspire Defence Ltd has begun construction of new living, working and training facilities across Salisbury Plain as part of the Ministry of Defence’s Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) programme, with investment totalling around £50m.
The programme includes approximately £13m of works at Assaye Barracks in Tidworth and £37m at Battlesbury Barracks in Warminster. The Defence Estate Optimisation programme is intended to modernise and improve the sustainability of military infrastructure while releasing surplus land for alternative uses.
The investment will support three Army units: 1 Medical Regiment (1MED), which is already based at Assaye Barracks; the 2nd Battalion The Royal Yorkshire Regiment (2RYORKS), which has relocated from Chester to Warminster; and The Royal Lancers, which are due to move from Catterick to Tidworth from 2027.
At Assaye Barracks, demolition of outdated buildings has cleared the way for construction of a new Regimental Headquarters for 1MED. Once the regiment relocates into the new headquarters, its existing office and operational accommodation will become available for The Royal Lancers. New storage facilities for the regiment have already been completed ahead of its arrival.
At Battlesbury Barracks, work is progressing to modernise accommodation and operational facilities for 2RYORKS. Main construction is scheduled to begin this summer and includes a new officers’ mess, upgraded quartermaster facilities and an extension to the existing gym. Refurbishment of the regimental headquarters has already been completed.
