Northern Ireland construction firm GRAHAM has commenced works on a new £22m medical and dental centre for the British Army at Leuchars Station in Fife.

The construction contract was awarded by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) with the aim that the new building will replace the aging, current medical and dental centre, which was built in 1936.

Demolition of the current facilities will follow once the replacement centre has been completed and medical personnel and patients have transitioned over.

"We are delighted to be continuing our longstanding relationship with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation to help deliver new and improved health and wellbeing facilities for the military personnel and their families at Leuchars," said Chris MacLeod, Regional Director at GRAHAM Building North.

The new facility has been carefully designed to be as sustainable as possible, including through thermal efficiency, solar panels, air source heat pumps and provision of four electric vehicle charging stations.

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Building materials have been selected not only on the basis of suitability, but also to reduce carbon impact on the environment. It is hoped that the building can be an example of sustainability in construction of future MOD medical and dental centres.

Once complete, the centre will be of sufficient size to cater for the increasing number of personnel forecast to be based at the station in the coming years, as it is to become the Army’s hub in Scotland.

Around 3,700 personnel at the British Army establishment and their dependents will benefit from the new building, which will house physical rehabilitation and mental health facilities as well as GP and dental services.

Shaun Purdy, DIO's Project Manager, said: "While the current medical and dental centre has hosted great medical care, it is important that we continually strive to improve and modernise. This new, larger facility will ensure that personnel and their families continue to receive the best possible care in the future in a modern clinical practice."

Meanwhile, Surgeon Commodore Andy Nelstrop, Cdr Defence Primary Healthcare, commented: "It is fundamental that all our medical personnel and patients can work and be treated in a modern environment and have access to the latest equipment and resources which is why the construction of this new centre is so important."

He added: "It is just one part of our ongoing programme to ensure everyone in our military receive the primary healthcare they deserve, and I am delighted that all those based at Leuchars will soon be able to benefit from this fantastic facility."