Millions Invested In Aldershot Bases

5 March 2013, 14:36 | Updated: 5 March 2013, 15:00

Around £100 million pounds will be spent to develop Army bases in Aldershot as part of plans to bring British troops home from Germany.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond's announced details of the investment in new bases and accommodation.

The Basing Plan clarifies for the first time the Army’s future permanent UK locations. The £100m being spent in Aldershot is part of £1.8 billion of investment being spent across the UK.

The new basing plan will make the best use of the Defence estate and provide better accommodation and facilities for our troops and their families.

The Plan will see Aldershot developed as a Centre of Specialisation for Protected Mobility, becoming the base for two Heavy Protected Mobility Infantry Battalions.

The main changes are as follows:

  • Lille Barracks will become home to 4th Battalion The Rifles, currently based in Bulford. The current occupants, 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards will move out in 2015.
  • Mons Barracks will become home to 1st Battalion The Scots Guards, currently based in Catterick. The current occupants 1st Battalion The Irish Guards will move out in 2015.
  • Keogh Barracks is set to be used by 1st Battalion The Grenadier Guards, currently based in Lille Barracks, which is currently occupied by The Defence Medical Services Training Centre (DMSTC).
  • Queen Elizabeth Barracks at Pirbright will become home to 1st Battalion The Welsh Guards, currently based in Hounslow. The 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment moved out of the barracks in 2012.
  • Minley will gain Headquarters 8 Engineer Brigade, but not before 2011
  • 27 Theatre Logistic Regiment will move to Abingdon from Aldershot, but not before 2014.
  • 3 Close Support Regiment Royal Logistic Corps will move to Aldershot from Abingdon.
  • Headquarters 11th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters South East will be based in Aldershot.

The Army will be brought back from Germany by 2020 – a move expected to eventually save £240 million a year. 

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: "By setting out our plans to bring troops back to the UK we are not only providing our Service personnel and their families with greater stability for their future but also generating a saving of around £240m a year in operational running costs.

"We are also going to invest an additional £1.8 billion in our new basing plan, providing investment around the country, crucial jobs for local economies and the best possible accommodation for our soldiers and their families.

"This work also supports and enables the Army 2020 structure, announced last year, which will ensure that the British Army remains the most capable Army in its class, adaptable and ready to meet the security challenges of the next decade and beyond." 

Brigadier Neil Baverstock, Commander 145 Brigade, said: "This is good news for Aldershot. The Basing plan not only brings increased investment to the area by the MoD, but also learning where units and families will be based in the coming years will give them the certainty they need to plan their futures."