News
September 29th 2023
Major rebuild and refurbishment completed at Kingsway Army Reserve Centre
A multi-million-pound project to improve facilities at Kingsway Army Reserve Centre, Derby, has been completed.
A three-bay vehicle workshop, a state-of-the-art gymnasium with changing facilities and a new trade training area have now been handed over to the occupying unit, 148 Divisional Support Company, 103 Force Support Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME).
Work on the £4.5 million capital project, which was funded by Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), began in May 2022 when two outdated buildings were demolished to make way for the new structure.
The new building has been fitted with all of the hardware needed by the unit, which provides equipment repair and recovery services for the infantry, armoured, and support regiments across the British Army’s warfighting division. This includes a pneumatic lift, compressors and brake testers for servicing large military trucks.
These new facilities complement the centre’s armoury, mess, drill hall, and office and storage spaces, which are also used by the Kingsway Detachment of Derbyshire Army Cadet Force.
Environmental sustainability was a key consideration at every stage of the project. Recycled aggregate was used during the build and air source heat pumps, heat recovery systems and low-pressure taps were installed to save on energy and operating costs. EV car charging points and bird and bat boxes have also been added.
As a result of this meticulous work, the project achieved ‘excellent’ in DIO’s Defence Related Environmental Assessment Method for sustainable development.
Martin Capewell, Head of Estates at East Midlands RFCA, said: “Kingsway’s refurbishment is one of the largest projects we’ve undertaken in recent years and I’m delighted we are now able to handover these modern facilities for use by 148 Divisional Support Company REME.
“Thank you to our contractor A&S Enterprises, Allan Joyce Architects and our Estates Team for their hard work. This is a project we can all look back on with pride.
“The new facilities at Kingsway are a dramatic improvement on what came before and will no doubt help with the unit’s ongoing efforts to recruit and retain more Reservists.”
Kingsway Reserve Centre has been an Army Reserve site since the 1930s. Under the Ministry of Defence’s ‘Future Soldier’ programme to make the Army more agile, more integrated and more expeditionary, REME moved a unit into Kingsway to increase its East Midlands presence.
