DEOP AA Ranges (Fingringhoe) Enhancement-CF

Fingringhoe and Middlewick Range facilities provide live fire capability and training support for over 3,500 personnel in 16 Air Assault Brigade and Units in the wider South East area.

Middlewick Range is situated on the outskirts of Colchester, postcode C05 7LX, and has been announced for disposal. To enable this disposal the capability will be transferred to Fingringhoe, with the site due for development in 21/22.

The additional live firing training capacity, that will be created by the supplementary range facilities at Fingringhoe, is an enduring requirement for the MOD.

The aim of the Project is to provide two additional firing ranges and supporting facilities at the Fingringhoe Range Complex to allow for the closure, and subsequent disposal, of 85 hectares at Middlewick Range.

The objectives of the Project are to:

a. Provide adequate range facilities to support use of the ranges, scaled for the number of personnel. The facility must support 2 x 30 personnel troops, workshop and store, toilets and vehicle parking and be Technical Advisory Section (TAS) compliant. The existing track is to be widened and resurfaced. Utilities shall be required.

b. Ensure that, outside of agreed periods, disruption to the operation of Fingringhoe Ranges is kept to a minimum during the construction period.

c. Ensure that the works are designed, constructed, commissioned and maintained to the appropriate standards and regulations during the construction and subsequent defects phase.

d. Optimise Through-Life Costs.

e. Link the Project and its delivery to the End Users' operational outputs.

f. The design of all engineering service systems shall be energy efficient and emphasise simplicity of layout and control. They shall include standard, tried and tested components to achieve a design life of 15 years' subject to planned maintenance and replacement required.

g. Ensure that new facilities have a minimum structural design life of 60 years, and free from major maintenance for 25 years