McLaughlin & Harvey is building a new 75,000-metre-squared Ministery of Defence (MOD) storage facility in Longtown, Cumbria.

Enhancing the MOD's storage capacity, the £86m contract will strengthen industrial activity across the UK, supporting approximately 150 high-quality, skilled jobs in Scotland and a further 300 in the North of England, growing the economy across both sides of the border.

With works currently ongoing at the site, the project is due to be completed in early October 2024 with the new facility becoming a key asset in supporting the armed forces on operations.


Known as the MOD Distribution Centre (North), the Longtown facility will be the size of 12 football pitches and be built on a brownfield site within the Longtown estate. The build will provide greater resilience for UK Defence by enhancing MOD’s existing strategic warehouse sites in both Shropshire and Oxfordshire and will also allow older warehousing to be retired.

John Farrow, DE&S Director, Logistics and Support Operating Centre, said: "The new warehouse will provide the UK with additional modern storage facilities, building on the success of similar facilities in Donnington, that will ensure assets are available more rapidly to meet surges in demand. This contract represents a fantastic example of the progress we have made in developing and implementing fit-for-purpose facilities that is helping to accelerate our mission of equipping and supporting our UK armed forces today and tomorrow."