Military shows off £800m plans (From Wiltshire Times)

Military shows off £800m plans

4:20pm Thursday 29th March 2007 in Corsham By John Ballard

PLANS for an £800m revamp of a military communications centre in Corsham were revealed today.

An exhibition is taking place at Corsham Town Hall between 2pm and 7pm this afternoon, so residents can find out about proposals for redeveloping the Basil Hill site, which acts as the eyes and ears of Britain's armed forces around the world.

If planning permission gets the go-ahead the centre, which will have office accommodation for over 2,000 staff, including cutting-edge operational and technical support facilities, could be completed by 2010.

Representatives from the MoD and Inteq, a consortium of John Lang plc and Interserve, appointed as the preferred bidder last year, were at the town hall today to give a presentation of the proposals.

Brigadier John Terrington said: "In terms of the people of Corsham, this project is a 25-year commitment to the area, and it builds on the long legacy of military involvement in the local area."

Members of the public will be able to comment on the proposals, and a formal planning application for the project is expected to be submitted to North Wiltshire District Council in the next couple of months.