Cumbria’s £100m MOD storage facility completes

Main contractor McLaughlin & Harvey has rounded off the 818,000 sq ft Longtown storage shed for the Ministry of Defence and has handed over management to Defence Equipment & Support, the procurement arm of the Ministry of Defence.

The site is set to provide safe and secure storage for a range of mission-critical operational materiel and inventory, including large spare parts used by the British Army, Royal Air Force, and Royal Navy.

McLaughlin & Harvey began work on the £98.5m build after it won the build contract in November 2023.

During construction, the project employed more than 450 people, while the new site will provide up to 25 FTE jobs.

Day-to-day operations will now be managed by Team Leidos, which includes supply chain specialists Kuehne + Nagel, and will be overseen by DE&S.

The facility makes use of green technologies and practices, including energy-efficient lighting, automated climate control, and recyclable packaging solutions.

Dedicated nature areas and rainwater recycling plants have also been constructed.

Les Millar, service and commodities head of strategy and special projects at DE&S Logistics, said the shed’s completion marks “a leap forward in our storage of materiel to support all parts of the armed forces,” providing an “environmentally efficient facility” for storage of significant amounts of parts and spares for defence platforms.

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Paul Griffen, managing director at McLaughlin & Harvey, added: “The successful completion … wasn’t just another build – it was the delivery of critical national infrastructure within a live, high-security environment.

“Our team worked in close partnership with all stakeholders, ensuring minimal disruption to the daily operations of the base.

“This project highlights our capability in the defence sector and ongoing commitment to supporting the UK’s armed forces to remain steady, responsive, and resilient.”

Simon Hutchings, vice president of logistics and mission support, Leidos UK and Europe, added: “As the delivery partners for the MOD’s logistics commodities and services transformation programme, Team Leidos is proud to be bringing much-needed resiliency to the Defence storage network at the point in time when the MOD is working to place the UK strategic base at the heart of its warfighting posture.”

“Working collaboratively with Kuehne + Nagel, DE&S, and McLaughlin & Harvey, the new facility at Longtown is a key milestone in this transformation, enhancing resilience, operational readiness, and efficiency across the Defence supply chain.”