New ‘green’ accommodation has opened at Defence’s flagship driving school in East Yorkshire, to benefit military personnel undertaking driver training while supporting Net Zero targets for Defence.
The Net Zero carbon accommodation was formally opened this week at the Defence School of Transport (DST) in Leconfield. DST is the largest residential driver training school in the world, providing driver and transport management training to military personnel from the Army, RAF and Royal Marines, as well as support to global operations.
The two new multi-occupancy buildings, which were delivered by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) for the Army in just nine months, will accommodate students completing short courses at DST. Built by offsite construction specialist Reds10, the blocks provide 112 bedspaces across two-to-three-person rooms, alongside ablutions, drying and utility rooms. The accommodation also incorporates sustainable features, supporting the Army’s contribution to UK Government targets for Net Zero by 2050. These include rooftop solar panels, air source heat pumps and heat recovery systems. SMART building technology is also installed in both buildings and will provide detailed information on their energy usage, to better understand emerging trends and lead to increased efficiency.
“Enhancing the Defence estate with new infrastructure offers significant opportunities to support our people while protecting the environments in which they live, work and train. The delivery of modern, sustainable accommodation at DST Leconfield is an important step on the path to Net Zero for the Army and wider Defence.”
Baroness Goldie, Minister of State in the House of Lords
The official opening ceremony for the new accommodation took place at Normandy Barracks on Monday 26 June and was attended by representatives of the Army, DST Leconfield, DIO and Reds10.
“I am delighted to open this sustainable short course accommodation for DST Leconfield, which has been delivered as part of our expansive and ongoing investment to enhance living conditions across the Army estate. I have been very impressed not only by the speed of delivery of these buildings, but by the high-quality finish of the interior, which demonstrates the Army’s enduring commitment to provide the infrastructure that our people need and deserve.”
Brigadier Richard Brown, Head of Infrastructure Plans (Army)
“I am hugely grateful to the project team, DST Leconfield and Reds10 for their efforts to ensure the prompt and successful delivery of this project for military personnel. The short timeframe in which this project was completed demonstrates the proven potential of modular construction, as an exemplary solution to meet the Army’s requirement, achieve sustainable efficiencies and to deliver value for money for Defence.”
Warren Webster, DIO MPP Programme Director – Army
“We are delighted that these new buildings are now ready for occupation. The rooms have been finished to an exceptional standard and will provide improved comfort and convenience for military personnel who undertake short courses here at DST Leconfield.”
Colonel Chris Henson QGM, Commandant of the Defence School of Transport
“We are very proud to hand these buildings over to DST Leconfield. Drawing on our work alongside DIO on the award-winning Net-Zero Accommodation Programme (NetCAP), we have been able to continue our partnership with the British Army to make the building design compliant for the Built Estate, while retaining sustainability at its heart. We are looking forward to seeing the building used in the years to come.”
Phil Cook, Reds10 Defence Sector Lead
The opening ceremony at DST was followed by a visit to the Reds10 factory in Driffield to view sample Temporary Accommodation Units (TAUs).