MoD scraps one of two proposed training centres at the £15bn military academy in St Athan, Wales

The “largest ever” PFI project, a £15bn military training academy in St Athan, Wales, has been cut by a third.

The St Athan defence training review (DTR) project was to have been delivered in two ‘packages’; a training complex for engineering and systems students worth £10bn, and a smaller complex for specialist training worth £5bn.

Now, only one of the two training centres will go ahead, after the Ministry of Defence decided the Metrix consortium bidding for the scheme could not deliver the second package in an “affordable” manner.

The larger £10bn package has been given the green light, and will see a “training village’ built in the Welsh countryside for up to 6,500 trainees and 3,500 military staff to live and work onsite.

Construction is expected to begin imminently, with completion of the new training centre due in 2013.

The Metrix consortium is made up of Land Securities Trillium, Laing O’Rourke, Dalkia, and Currie & Brown, as well as other support services and training partners.

Architects HLM, Scott Brownrigg and Capita Architecture have created a provisional masterplan for the project.

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