Catterick investment creates urban training environment

A new £1.2M investment has upgraded a realistic urban training facility at Catterick training area.

The investment in the Whinny Hill facility has created 13 new buildings to provide a realistic urban training environment for armed forces and emergency services personnel. The facility features reconfigurable containers which can recreate a variety of modern urban environments.

The one- and two-storey buildings have a number of access points that can replicate forced entry and a larger building for helicopter and rope access. The project was completed by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), Lamdmarc Support Services, and BeaverFit Ltd.

Lt Col Mark Holden, Commander of Defence Training Estate for the North Region, said: “DIO supports our armed forces by providing what they need to live, work and train. We have worked closely with experts and our partners to ensure that we deliver exactly what the military needs to provide enhanced training for their sailors, soldiers and airmen.”

“The new urban complex has been designed to meet the needs of military personnel now, and in the future, and we’re pleased that it’s now ready for use.”

The building project was split into two phases, the first completed in October 2018 and the second completed this month. Training facilities remained open during construction, allowing operations to continue with less disruption.

The buildings were designed with a realistic facade to recreate urban environments in the UK. The internal layouts are reconfigurable, allowing them to recreate a number of different situations.

The work utilised offsite construction to reduce cost and disruption. Training was planned to fit around the construction and delivery of containers to allow work to be completed in time with deadlines.

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