Projects

KIRTON YOUTH CENTRE

Lincolnshire ACF occupied a leased Spooner hut in Kirton Village until the lease expired in 1999. Kirton Youth Challenge was a local organisation that intended to bid for Lottery funding to provide a purpose built Youth Community Centre for the area and was formed in 1996. Lincolnshire ACF was invited to participate in the scheme together with the Boys Brigade, Scouts, Guides, Cub Scouts, Brownies, Nursery and Play School. East Midlands RFCA supported the bid and MOD contributed £75k towards the £450k cost of the building. Kirton Detachment ACF enjoys sole use of offices and stores and has access to the main hall and classroom on meeting nights. This example demonstrates a commitment to participating fully in community life and providing purpose built accommodation for multi-users in a rural community.

WELLINGBOROUGH CADET CENTRE

During Options for Change the TA presence in Wellingborough was withdrawn leaving the ACF Detachment in the main TA Centre building on the High Street and 378 (Mannock) Sqn ATC in a Spooner hut in the grounds. The Borough Council for Wellingborough own a large car park adjacent to the TA Centre and wished to develop the whole site as a Leisure Centre. East Midlands RFCA and Defence Estates agreed to the sale of the site as a SELIT disposal and negotiated provision of a new site and Cadet Centre near the town centre. The TA Centre was eventually sold and the new Cadet Centre was completed in May 2004. This example demonstrates a willingness by the RFCA to rationalise its estate to reduce maintenance costs, modernise its estate by providing purpose built cadet accommodation, best value by restricting MOD contribution to £100k and involvement with the community as the building can be hired to local clubs and organisations when available.

LINCOLNSHIRE ACF COUNTY HEADQUARTERS

Lincolnshire ACF County Headquarters occupied a former TA Centre at Newport near the centre of Lincoln. The TA Detachment closed in the early 1990s and the County ACF took occupation of the whole TA Centre having occupied a significant part of it prior to the disbandment. Newport was built in the 1930s was in a poor state of repair. East Midlands RFCA decided to rationalise its estate by providing a new County Headquarters at Sobraon Barracks Lincoln, a TA Centre less than a mile from Newport. Defence Estates agreed to the disposal as a SPEND TO SAVE measure and agreed to fund the provision of the new building from the disposal receipt. The County Headquarters was completed in March 2008 at a cost of £1.33 M and Newport was sold at the same time for £1.65 M. This example demonstrates the willingness of the RFCA to reduce maintenance costs by rationalising its estate, obtaining a disposal receipt for MOD, provision of purpose built cadet premises, enhancing the training estate at no cost to MOD (a 4 lane IRR was included in the County HQ) and providing best value as the total fees were 7.6% of the project cost including DE LQA etc. costs.

NORTH HYKEHAM CADET CENTRE

North Hykeham Detachment ACF and 1237 (North Hykeham) Sqn ATC occupy a leased site in North Hykeham. The Landlord wishes to develop the site and served notice on East Midlands RFCA in 2008 that the lease would not be renewed. A project to replace the two huts with a joint cadet centre was already in the D Infra Capital Works Programme (CWP) but was not funded. East Midlands RFCA had already started looking for an alternative site and had agreed with Robert Pattinson School, North Hykeham that a site was available in the school at no cost to MOD. In 2009 bids were invited by DCSF for community based projects where up to half the project cost would be made available by DCSF. East Midlands RFCA in partnership with Robert Pattinson School, Lincolnshire County Council, Lincolnshire ACF and HQ AC Org submitted a bid to DCSF and were successful in gaining £390k towards the cost of the project. £30k of this was for school use. HQ AC immediately allocated half the outstanding amount and D Infra undertook to do the same. Construction started on site in April 2010 with a projected completion of October 2010. This example demonstrates the willingness of the RFCA to pursue novel solutions to estate provision to save MOD resources. A community facility will be provided for use by the school during the day, by the cadet units 4 evenings a week and occasionally at weekends and for other community organisations when free. Lincolnshire ACF will administer the building in partnership with the school FM and East Midlands RFCA will maintain the building.

NOTTINGHAM BEESTON UOTC AND TA CENTRE

Nottingham Beeston TA Centre is occupied by East Midlands OUTC, B Sqn 212 Fd Hosp (V), Beeston Detachment ACF and 1359 (Beeston) Sqn ATC. Until 1995 Options for Change the B Sqn accommodation was occupied by a detached Pln of 3 WFR. The top floor of the Cadet building was converted to B Sqn offices and a small mess in 1996 but training accommodation was limited to a classroom in the UOTC main building. Training facilities were so lacking that the UOTC had to decamp half its number of students to Chilwell Station on meeting nights for training. In 2000 HQ 4 Div agreed to fund the provision of purpose built training classrooms and stores for B Sqn which were completed in October 2001. In 2009 East Midlands RFCA provided RGI funding to convert the redundant IRR in the UOTC to a training suite for the UOTC to enable them to train their whole establishment at Beeston. Providing these facilities enabled all occupying units to fully integrate and make best use of all available accommodation. The UOTC uses the training wing on its meeting nights; B Sqn uses the UOTC drill hall on its meeting nights, the two cadet units who meet four evenings a week use the training wing on their meeting nights when it is free. B Sqn also provides a medical examination facility for the UOTC and TA units for PULHEEM assessments. This example demonstrates that the RFCA will meet user requirements by exploring any number of options and funding streams to provide an estates solution and fully utilised accommodation.

NEW CADET CENTRE FOR 504 (WEST NOTTINGHAM) SQN ATC, BILBOROUGH, NOTTINGHAM

504 (West Nottingham) Sqn ATC occupy a leased site in the middle of a residential estate in Bilborough, Nottingham. The Landlord wishes to develop the site and served notice on East Midlands RFCA in 2008 informing the Association that the lease would not be renewed. A project to replace the building was already in HQ AC Capital Works Programme (CWP). East Midlands RFCA had already started looking for an alternative site and had agreed with 73 Engr Regt (V) that the former Married Quarters adjacent to the TA Centre would provide a suitable site at no cost to MOD. In 2009 an initial design for converting the MQs to a cadet centre was explored but proved uneconomical so it was decided that a new build solution was the preferred option. HQ AC provided funding in FY 2010 and construction started on site in July 2010. The building is now finished and is having it's official launch on 12 May 2011.