A £98.5 million Cumbrian storage facility for the Ministry of Defence has been completed.
The facility, at Longtown, is managed by Defence Equipment & Support, the procurement arm of the MoD.
At 76,000sq m, the warehouse will provide safe and secure storage for a range of mission-critical operational materiel and inventory, including large spare parts used by the British Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.
The ministry said it marked a strategic improvement in enhancing the UK’s defence readiness and resilience, whilst streamlining and strengthening supply chain operations and significantly increasing departmental storage.
The Longtown site will also ensure assets and capabilities at existing Defence Fulfilment Centres in Donnington, Shropshire and Bicester, Oxfordshire are more readily available to meet surges in demand, optimising support and delivery to those on the frontline when they need it most.
The build project has employed more than 450 people, and the new site will provide up to 25 permanent jobs.
Those working at the warehouse will ensure this new facility provides a capability that is crucial in supporting Armed Forces who are deployed overseas, or responding to humanitarian needs abroad.
During a recent handover event, a symbolic large key was passed from McLaughlin & Harvey – the construction and civil engineering company responsible for the build – to DE&S, which runs the site in partnership with Leidos and supply chain specialists Kuehne + Nagel, known collectively as Team Leidos.
Les Millar, DE&S logistics, services and commodities head of strategy and special projects, said: “The completion of the build phase of the MoD’s Longtown Defence Storage Facility marks a leap forward in our storage of materiel to support all parts of the armed forces, giving us a state-of-the-art environmentally efficient facility to store significant amount of parts and spares for defence platforms, enabling us to be better prepared for the military threats faced, both today and for the foreseeable future.”
The facility incorporates modern construction methods, high-performance materials and energy-efficient systems – supporting operational effectiveness and contributing to the MoD’s Net Zero ambitions.
The new facility uses green technologies and practices, including energy-efficient lighting, automated climate control and recyclable packaging solutions. There will also be a dedicated nature reserve areas and rainwater will be recycled for washroom facilities.
The on-site rail network has also been enhanced as a result of the project. This is to enable materiel to be moved in and out of LDSF easily and distributed via the national network to other MoD sites, helping to reduce costs, lorry journeys and emissions.
Day-to-day operations will now be managed by Team Leidos and overseen by DE&S, with an official opening ceremony planned for later in the year.
