The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) project to build new accommodation for personnel at the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines (CTCRM) in Devon has celebrated a major milestone.
The socially distanced topping out ceremony held at the Royal Marines’ principal training centre in Lympstone means that the building’s framework has now reached its highest point. The event was held in line with the current Covid-19 guidelines.
Representatives from the Royal Marines, Defence Infrastructure Organisation and its contractors Galliford Try and AECOM attended a socially distanced event to mark this achievement and to view progress on the building.
The project is worth approximately £10-million in total and will see the creation of a 181-bed block for junior ranks as well as supporting facilities, such as a communal area and administrative offices, at the site near Lympstone. The accommodation will comprise of 21 eight-bed rooms and one ten-bed unit plus three single Duty of Care rooms for supporting staff. All rooms have been designed so that they can be allocated to either male or female occupants.
The new blocks will house Royal Marine recruits who have either been injured in training or are undergoing remedial professional military training.
Progress has carried on at this important facility in accordance with strict Covid-19 guidelines.
Simon Jones, DIO Project Manager, said:
“This is an incredibly exciting milestone for the project and one we are pleased to be working on with Galliford Try and with our technical support providers Aecom.
“This purpose-built facility will provide modern and essential accommodation to personnel as they recover from injury and undergo rehabilitation on site.
“We are delighted with the progress on the facility to date especially in these challenging times and we look forward to celebrating its completion.”
Mark Wusthoff, Area Director for Galliford Try Building West Midlands & South West, said:
“We were delighted to be able to welcome our partners on site to signify this important milestone, demonstrating the progress we have safely made despite the challenges presented by the pandemic.
“Defence is a key sector for our business and we are looking forward to the successful completion of this project, demonstrating the breadth of our offering to the sector and our capabilities within it.”
Image: Crown Copyright 2020.