Construction has begun on a new Ministry of Defence office for around 1,000 staff in Blackpool’s Talbot Gateway redevelopment.
Up to 1,100 staff from Defence Business Services – which provides corporate services for defence – will move to Talbot Gateway, which is also home to a newly opened office for up to 3,000 Department for Work and Pensions staff.
They will relocate from a leased building in the local area – a move that “concludes the consolidation of DBS’ northwest estate into a single, purpose-built office owned by the MoD, securing future jobs and saving the taxpayer money long term”, DBS said.
Construction on the 53,000 sq. ft office is scheduled for completion in 2027.
The project is part of the MoD’s £5.1bn Defence Estate Optimisation portfolio, which aims to make the defence estate more modern and sustainable. The portfolio also includes new and refurbished military accommodation and housing for over 40,000 service personnel and their families, as well as technical, training and office space for over 64,000 personnel, including civilian staff.
The defence property portfolio is the largest in government, accounting for 100,228 of the 180,908 buildings across the government estate in 2023-24 – but this represents a 2.5% reduction compared to the previous year.
DBS signed the contract for the new building on 31 March ahead of a groundbreaking ceremony last week.
The Defence Infrastructure Organisation will manage construction, working with Blackpool Council, development partner Muse Places, main contractor VINCI Building and DBS.
DIO programme manager Ross Porter said the groundbreaking is a “great milestone” that follows “several years of pre-construction work and a huge collaborative effort from all parties involved”.
“We’re very much looking forward to delivering a first-class office facility for MoD staff in the area, as part of the Defence Estates Optimisation Portfolio,” he said.
Cllr Lynn Williams, leader of Blackpool Council, called the project “another major step forward in our plans to make Blackpool better” and said council workers and civil servants had “worked exceptionally hard to make this deal possible”.
“We’re very grateful to government for recognising Blackpool’s economic potential and continuing to invest and help us create quality jobs for local people,” she said.
Gary Hughes, regional director at VINCI Building, pledged to “ensure we continue to provide local opportunities through the development of our local supply chain, whilst generating significant education and training opportunities with local schools, colleges and education groups as we progress on site”.