Plans For Catterick Garrison Redevelopment Ahead Of Arrival Of 3,500 Extra Troops

There are plans for Catterick Garrison to be redeveloped ahead of an almost 60% increase in personnel by 2031.

It comes as the North Yorkshire base prepares to become the home of the British Army’s two new Strike Brigades. 

Catterick is already the Army’s biggest garrison and its number of personnel is expected to rise from roughly 6,000 to 9,500.

A research study has been commissioned so the garrison can work out how it will accommodate the extra troops. 

Major Tony Leighton, the project sponsor, said the redevelopment programme is currently in a "very early stage" and "construction will be delivered over a phased period of time".

"In reality, we are looking at a number of years for the units to start moving into the Catterick Garrison, so it is not an immediate move and it will progress over through to 2031," he said.

Maj Leighton added: "I think most of the work is going to be done on site.

"That'll be the refurbishment of some of the existing buildings, and obviously some new building will be undertaken." 

Alongside the increase in military personnel, the number of dependents at Catterick is also expected to rise by at least 1,000.

It means more school places and leisure and healthcare facilities will also be needed.

The Army says it is working closely with local authorities to accomodate this, as well as focusing on protecting the local environment during construction work and future sustainability. 

Leigh Hay, assessment project lead, said: "What we are trying to do initially is to understand what Catterick has, so we need to look at what capacity it has and what condition the facilities are in.

"We then move that forward into what is required for the future and to identify what gaps we need to fill."

Earlier this month, the Chancellor and Defence Secretary visited Catterick to announce a £200 million boost to improve military accommodation at the garrison.

However, that is separate to the plans to redevelop Catterick over the coming years.

The base will remain the home of 4 Infantry Brigade Headquarters and Catterick Garrison Headquarters, as well as the Infantry Training Centre.