Work begins on accommodation facility for Royal Centre for Defence Medicine

Work has begun on a new accommodation facility for Royal Centre for Defence Medicine staff at Longbridge.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation and St Modwen have marked construction on the new building, which will provide 180 en-suite bedrooms for the medical staff treating injured personnel based at Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Birmingham.

Planning consent for the project was given last year and it is hoped that the first occupants will be able to move in by summer next year.

Surgeon Vice Admiral Alasdair Walker, the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Surgeon General, said the building represented a “significant step” in improving accommodation facilities for staff at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine.

He commented: “It will provide a focal point that will develop and maintain a sense of belonging and teamwork in support of the essential medical work they undertake every day.

“We are planning to choose a building name that is both a fitting tribute to those who have gone before and that recognises personnel from all 3 services working together as one team.”

Since 2003, the former MG Rover site at Longbridge has seen St Modwen invest £300M into its regeneration, with 400 family homes being created plus a £35M ExtraCare Retirement Village currently under construction.

The developer will also create foot and cycle connections between the new facility and Longbridge Town Centre, which has seen St Modwen spend £100M providing shops, eateries, offices, the new Bournville College, and the new Austin Park.

Mike Murray, Development Director at St. Modwen, said: “It is a testament to the success of Longbridge that the DIO has chosen to locate its accommodation here and invest in the area and it is exciting to see construction underway on the new facility. We very much look forward to welcoming staff to the vibrant community at Longbridge, whilst equally adding to the increasingly diverse offering we have here.

“With improvements to footpath and cycle links being brought forward as part of the development, we are also creating a greener, cleaner environment not just for the future occupants, but everyone at Longbridge.”

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