A ceremony has been held to mark the start of construction for a new medical and dental centre for the British Army at Leuchars Station in Fife.
The construction contract, worth nearly £22 m, was awarded by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to construction company, Graham. The new building will replace the ageing 1936-built current medical and dental centre. Once complete, medical personnel and patients will transition over to it, and the old building will be demolished. It will be sufficiently large to cater for the increasing number of personnel forecast to be based at the station in the coming years, as it is to become the Army’s hub in Scotland. Around 3,700 personnel at the British Army establishment and their dependents will benefit from the new building, which will house physical rehabilitation and mental health facilities, and GP and dental services.
The building has been carefully designed to be as sustainable as possible, including through thermal efficiency, solar panels, air source heat pumps, and provision of four electric vehicle charging stations. Building materials have been selected not only on the basis of suitability, but also to reduce carbon impact. It is hoped the building can be an example of sustainability in construction of future MOD medical and dental centres.
Shaun Purdy, DIO’s Project manager, said: “Working closely with Defence Medical Services, UK Strategic Command, and partners, it was agreed that a brand new building is by far the best solution, and will provide the sort of high-quality medical and dental care our personnel deserve.”
Surgeon Commodore, Andy Nelstrop, Cdr Defence Primary Healthcare, said: “Delivering expert healthcare to our Armed Forces, and ensuring they are able to see a medical professional quickly is a priority for all those who work within Defence Primary Healthcare. It is fundamental that all our medical personnel and patients can work and be treated in a modern environment, and have access to the latest equipment and resources, which is why this new centre’s construction is so important. I’m delighted that all those based at Leuchars will soon be able to benefit from this fantastic facility.”