Work starts on new £12m accommodation block at RAF Cosford

Work is now underway on the new accommodation, which the Ministry of Defence (MOD) says will provide 50 en-suite bedrooms at Cosford, as well as kitchenettes, communal space, equipment storage and laundry facilities for service personnel.

The contract was awarded through the £1 billion Single Living Accommodation (SLA) alliance, which will see thousands of new bedspaces created for armed forces personnel. 

The project is one of the first to be delivered under the scheme, which will run for six years and will see 16,000 new bedspaces built across the country. It forms part of wider plans to build or refurbish 40,000 SLA bedspaces over the next 10 years, improving living conditions for service personnel.

The MOD said more than £120,000 has already been spent with local suppliers and the project will "continue to maximise opportunities to support the local business community" as the project progresses.  

"RAF Cosford has continued to grow in recent years," said Wing Commander Penny Brade, Station Commander at RAF Cosford. 

"When complete, the new officers’ mess annex will have a hugely positive impact on those commissioned personnel living on the station, and those who visit for courses and conferences."

Peter Shaw, project manager for Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) major programmes and projects, said: "I am very excited to see spades in the ground and construction officially starting on this project to improve accommodation for personnel based at RAF Cosford. 

"We are looking forward to delivering this project as part of the SLA programmatic approach, which will ensure we can safely build consistent accommodation blocks faster, while also driving greater value for money."

The project is being built by modular construction specialist Reds10, with managing director Phil Cook saying the scheme would be a "significant milestone" in transforming how accommodation for service personnel is delivered across the MOD estate. 

"By combining our expertise in industrialised construction with a strong, collaborative relationship with DIO, we’re helping to set a new benchmark for quality, sustainability and speed of delivery, ensuring those serving our country have the high-quality living environments they deserve," he said.

Construction is now underway at the site and is expected to be completed by July 2026.