Step forward for expansion of Europe's largest military base Catterick Garrison

The British Army and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) have awarded WYG a contract to carry out an assessment study for the redevelopment of Catterick Garrison.

Further details on plans to create a "super garrison" for soldiers were revealed in May, with the Ministry of Defence stating improved facilities were needed for "core sites".

Catterick is forecast to expand from 6,000 service personnel to around 9,500 by about 2031, as it becomes the new headquarters for mechanised wheel capability.

Now, consultants are to look at living accommodation, family quarters, offices and stores, as well as the impact additional service personnel and their families could have on the town and local area.

“Catterick Garrison is already one the Army’s biggest and most important garrisons, and Catterick is at the heart of the Army’s future basing investment plans," said Major General David Southall MBE, director of basing and infrastructure.

“Working with both North Yorkshire County Council and Richmondshire District Council we will collectively ensure this investment delivers the best outcomes for both the Army and the local community.”

With more soldiers to be based at Catterick, the Army predicts a rise in the number of family members and dependents living in the area, from 2,600 to 3,800.

It is working "closely" with authorities to ensure provision meets demand, it says, including with school settings, leisure and medical facilities.

Callum McKeon, corporate director for Richmondshire District Council, said the study will complement the work already begun on the area's Local Plan and garrison masterplan.

"We are looking forward to helping our military colleagues develop and shape their plans, as we all work together to accommodate the growth of the garrison and the needs of the local civilian population.”

WYG is set to deliver its findings next spring, with construction planned for 2023.

____________________________________________________________________

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor