A MAJOR new £7 million kitchen and dining facility has opened at Rollestone Camp on Salisbury Plain, promising to feed hundreds of Armed Forces personnel while cutting the site’s environmental impact.

The new kitchen, delivered by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) with Landmarc and Knights Brown Construction, can serve up to 600 personnel across two sittings and is part of a wider national programme to modernise military catering and dining facilities.

This is more than just a new mess hall, however; the fully electric building has been fitted with solar panels and battery storage, helping reduce power demand and support the Ministry of Defence’s sustainability targets.

The investment is the latest in a series of upgrades at Rollestone Camp, which already include six NetCAP carbon-efficient accommodation blocks complete with new beds, showers, ablutions and drying rooms, as well as an Urban Fighting Skills House designed to mirror the pressures and unpredictability of modern combat environments.

Representatives from the DIO, Landmarc support services and Knights Brown Construction outside the newly completed kitchen facility at Rollestone Camp, marking the successful delivery of the project. (Picture: Landmarc)

Head of overseas and training at DIO Brigadier Gavin Hatcher said: “Salisbury Plain Training Area is the UK’s largest training area and is used around 340 days a year, so it is important that our serving personnel have the facilities they need to support their training.

“The investment in modern troop accommodation and state-of-the-art training facilities at Rollestone demonstrates DIO’s contribution to the warfighting readiness and wellbeing of serving personnel.”

Director of basing and infrastructure Major General AJ Smith CBE said: “This high-quality facility provides modern, fit-for-purpose dining services on the training estate, ensuring our people are properly fuelled for the demands soldiering.

“This significant investment at Rollestone will support our troops as they progress through training and prepare for operations worldwide.”

Landmarc project manager Andy Green added: “These improvements enhance the lived experience of personnel and ensure the training estate continues to support effective, high-quality training.”