The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is investing £2.4 million to upgrade a military training facility in Wiltshire.

The project will see 12 buildings demolished and replace with 11 multi-functional structures at New Zealand Farm Camp on Salisbury Plain Training Area.

The new facilities, known as 'stone tents', will provide a multi-purpose training camp that can be used for a range of military exercises including replicating a terrorist camp, refugee camp and a Non-Governmental Organisation Base.

Landmarc Support Services will work in partnership with the DIO to also improve the surrounding infrastructure with tracks and hardstandings.


Street lighting and a new public address system will be provided along with a Field Electrical Power Supply (FEPS) generator.

WO1 Jeff Elson, DIO’s Training Safety Marshall at Salisbury Plain said: "DIO's priority is to support our armed forces by delivering the facilities they need to live, work, train and deploy on operations. The investment being made in upgrading New Zealand Farm Camp is the biggest single investment in a training camp on Salisbury Plain since Copehill Down village in the late 1980s."

Clive Paxman, project manager at Landmarc Support Services, added: "Landmarc worked closely with end users and other stakeholders during the design programme to understand the specific requirements of this facility, which was first used for training during World War 2.

"This collaboration will ensure that we are jointly able to create facilities that will meet the diverse training needs of our armed forces, in the most sustainable and cost-effective way."

The project is due to be completed in July 2016.

(LM)