ESTATEMENT FEATURE: Shore improvements at RMB Chivenor

But if that isn’t enough to make RMB Chivenor an appealing place for British marines to live and work, the host of new facilities that have sprung up at the site over the past year certainly will be.

The military has been present at this British coastal hot spot since the 1930s, when RAF Chivenor was established and soon after became a Coastal Command Station during the Second World War. Now a key operating base for the Royal Marines, ongoing estate development work is equipping the base not only for today’s marines but the maritime fighting force of the future.

Chivenor is a tri-service establishment, home to three active military units: Commando Logistic Regiment Royal Marines; 24 Commando Engineer Regiment (CER) and A Flight 22 Squadron, Royal Air Force. The completed and ongoing site improvement work, delivered by DE in partnership with Regional Prime Contractor (RPC) Debut, will benefit all three.

Major estate changes at Chivenor began in 2008 when the site was "remodelled" to host the then newly formed 24 CER. There was a very tight ten-month window within which the estate had to be made ready to support them and the deadline was non-negotiable because the infrastructure was crucial to the regiment becoming operational in time for a scheduled tour to Afghanistan six months later.

The programme included relocating existing users and making significant changes to buildings to create the space for personnel and equipment that 24 CER needed.
 
Close liaison between the Royal Marines, DE and Debut brought the work in on time and budget and without any disruption to the base’s operational output.

New workshops completed in Summer 2009 have also made their mark at the Chivenor site.

Major Nick Underwood, Officer Commanding Base Squadron, RMB Chivenor, said:

"These state of the art facilities are a major step forward in the maintenance of valuable vehicle assets at Chivenor and everyone who sees them is impressed by their design and the quality of work."

They were constructed to replace their 1930s-built predecessors, which were failing to meet the requirements of today's vehicle mechanics who service and repair the unit’s equipment and weapons. The new weapons repair facility now sits conveniently next to the one existing and newly built weapons stores.

The nearby motor transport workshop, which is large enough for 25 vehicles to be repaired concurrently, has co-located buildings providing storage for vehicles and equipment. These modern buildings have been designed for easy expansion in future years.

Major Underwood continued:

"The new facility has created an appropriate working environment for Service and civilian mechanics to work on valuable military vehicles and equipment, no longer having to put out buckets to catch rain coming through the roof or close hangar doors in high winds for fear the hangar roof would lift off!"

With the workshops complete, construction is now underway on a second Controlled Humidity Environment (CHE) building that is due to be completed in June 2010. It will be twice the size of its existing counterpart, giving much greater storage capacity for vehicles to be housed in a suspended animation state. As well as reducing maintenance, this storage technique helps keep vehicles ready for deployment.

Just like its vehicles, Chivenor's personnel also need to be kept fit for operations and elsewhere on base the medical centre has been expanded to provide five additional treatment rooms. An existing office space has also been innovatively converted into a well-equipped Remedial Instructors’ facility for injured troops.

Major Underwood explains:

"The move of the Remedial Instructors' facility has enabled a far closer link between the Medical Centre staff, the patients and the Remedial Instructors aiding patient monitoring and recovery. Previously the facility was outside the perimeter of the base and this close link was difficult to achieve."

As well as a large air-conditioned fitness suite, the centre encompasses an external area that has been constructed to provide an assortment of obstacles, such as steps and slopes, that rehabilitating troops need to learn how to negotiate.

The new SLAM blocks are streets ahead of the dated accommodation they have replaced. Previously many marines were in cramped single rooms with little storage space and shared, dilapidated washing facilities.

Having recently moved into this new accommodation, Lance Corporal Keith Smith, a Recovery Mechanic in the Royal Marines Commando Logistic Regiment, said:

"The new accommodation is 100 times better. There are a lot of better facilities as you have a rest room and communal area, so the lads are not just stopping in their rooms on their own. There is an amazing kitchen and drying room, we really have everything we need."

Lance Corporal Smith and his comrades will also enjoy two all-weather sports pitches and a volleyball court, all in close vicinity to their living quarters, when the ongoing conversion of three disused tennis courts is completed.

Whilst being located so close to the sea clearly has both operational and recreational advantages, the completion of a flood defence project in Autumn 2009, will protect RMB Chivenor's technical estate, and all of its new assets, over the years to come.

The new £4.5 million flood defence barrier, which is mostly constructed from natural materials sourced at the site, has been designed to minimise the action required when a flood warning is given. It was a complex project with the team needing to overcome a number of engineering and environmental obstacles.

Major Underwood said:

"We hope that the 1 in 50 year flood prediction is never realised and the barrier is not put to the test. However, if that is not the case, it will protect the domestic site from disappearing under projected levels of deep flood water, recovery from which would be lengthy, costly and disruptive."

With so many different projects having been delivered in a relatively short space of time at Chivenor, it is not surprising that the Royal Marines, DE and contractor Debut have established a close working relationship.

"Having developed a good working relationship with DE over the last few years I find that the RPC, under DE, delivers the required product," said Major Underwood.

"Clearly we are now restricted by funding cuts and I believe that there are still areas where costs need to be scrutinised more closely and better value for money could be achieved."

These three parties are now overseeing the delivery of several ongoing projects. The Officers’ Mess is receiving a major facelift, with the refurbishment of accommodation to provide some ensuite bedrooms and additional showers and toilets. It is also being redecorated and new furniture and carpet is being installed.

Off base, ten new married quarters are being built. These are due to be completed by April 2010 and are some of the first military houses to be constructed to meet the Government’s new environmental standards. They will have in-built measures to minimise water and energy consumption, space to store waste for recycling and rain water harvesting systems.

Based on the Government Code for Sustainable Homes, they are ranked level 4, with the next level up being an eco-home. And sustainable living is definitely something that the inhabitants of North Devon have to take seriously as they are living on the doorstep of one of the world’s most precious coastlines.

But the main aim of this development is of course supporting operations. Major Underwood concludes:

"Chivenor is the springboard for operations for both the Commando Logistic Regiment Royal Marines and 24 CER and, as such, its continued development can only contribute to operational capability and effectiveness."

This article by Rhian Williams first appeared in the Winter 2009 edition of Estatement - Delivering Estate Solutions to Defence Needs.