Minister for Armed Forces to open new Army HQ in Hampshire (From Daily Echo)
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Minister for Armed Forces to open new Army HQ in Hampshire
7:06am Thursday 9th September 2010 in
A new £44 million headquarters for the British Army's land forces will be officially opened in Hampshire today.
Minister for Armed Forces, Nick Harvey and the Commander-in-Chief Land Forces, General Sir Peter Wall, will declare the facility in Andover.
More than 2,000 military and civilian personnel are now working at the refurbished site, called Marlborough Lines, which was previously occupied by the Defence Equipment and Support organisation.
The staff moved in between May and July this year, primarily from Wilton just outside Salisbury and Upavon on Salisbury Plain.
Land Forces was formed on April 1, 2008, when Land Command and the Adjutant General's Command combined.
An Army spokeswoman said: ''Combining the two headquarters was a cost-effective move to improve HQLF's ability to provide the military capability to conduct and support operations, with less duplication of staff work, more effective ways of working and improved internal communication.
''The new headquarters' buildings provide a modern working environment that is more efficient, economical and environmentally friendly.''
The cost of the move will be off-set by efficiency savings and the sale of the Wilton site, the spokeswoman explained. The £44 million will be recouped in eight years.
The site, a former RAF station, was renamed Marlborough Lines in honour of John Churchill, the 1st Duke of Marlborough, who was one of Britain's greatest generals and an ancestor of Winston Churchill.
Office buildings were named Blenheim, Ramillies and Sedgemoor after the Duke's victories and the garden outside Blenheim is called the Churchill Garden.
Comments(3)
Ted Rogers
says...
10:08am Thu 9 Sep 10
hulla baloo wrote:Perhaps this new efficient HQ saving money will ensure future investment into equipment and resources. What would you rather, they still worked out of tin huts?
Meanwhile, soldiers fighting on the frontline, struggling for the equipment and resources will be pleased that the penpushers are safe and content in their nice new offices.
Bowler Hat
says...
10:18pm Sun 12 Sep 10
Not only that, but a considerable number of staff now commute the twenty or so miles from the Salisbury area to Andover. Of course this was only made possible because the Defence Equipment and Support organisation kindly vacated the site and now has staff commuting daily from Andover to Bristol! Whilst co-location might be environmentally friendly, economical and beneficial for the employer, the increased “carbon footprint” of the employee has risen considerably along with travel time and costs, placing further demands on an already demoralised workforce facing an uncertain future.
But all is not doom and gloom as the pen-pushers so beloved of the public and media (over half the staff at Andover are military by the way) can wander round palatial gardens (providing its not raining) whenever they manage to grab a quick lunch break between supporting the troops on the front line, or enjoy gazing at the symbolic artwork, wall coverings and drapes within the buildings whilst they are at their “hot-desks”.
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hulla baloo says...
7:18am Thu 9 Sep 10