The 600-plus buildings we manage range from Sheffield’s vast Grade 2-listed Endcliffe Hall to small, purpose-built units such as Stokesley Cadet Centre, opened in 2019.
Many of our sites have considerable local and historic value and occupy prominent positions within communities. Both Keighley and Huddersfield Drill Halls being prime examples of historic old buildings that are owned by charitable trusts who allow the RFCA and MOD to utilise them and thus continue the long military tradition associated with these towns. Others such as Harrogate Drill Hall are owned by the RFCA but made use of by the MOD to deliver the reserve and cadet experience. Additionally we have large complexes such as Carlton Barracks in Leeds and Manor Top Barracks in Sheffield.
We place great priority on our role as custodians of these important buildings and employ highly-qualified surveyors to oversee their upkeep and development.
Repairs and maintenance
Every year, we undertake large-scale infrastructure projects to ensure our buildings remain great places to work and train. For example, we carried out major restoration work at Keighley and Huddersfield Drill Halls in 2019 and 2020 as well as developing a new cadet centre at Barton on Humber.
Our staff conduct a comprehensive inspection of every site we manage each winter to identify what repairs are likely to be needed in the months ahead. This helps us to schedule our work efficiently.
In addition, we receive around 2,000 requests for repairs each year and achieve 99 per cent satisfaction rates from units for the work we do in response.
Our estate has more than 5,000 items that need regularly servicing, such as alarms systems and fire extinguishers. These are all logged on a database system developed by our estates team. This system flags up when the next services are due – something that helps us schedule the work efficiently.
Community resource
Such is the significance of our buildings within local communities that they often become focal points in times of need. During the early months of the Covid pandemic, our Army Reserve Centres became essential hubs from which reserves from The Yorkshire Regiment operated when they were mobilised to run the mobile Covid-testing units across the region. During major floods in South Yorkshire in 2019, our Scarbrough Barracks in Doncaster provided a base for the regular soldiers deployed to support the relief effort. Below is a video showing the important role Scarbrough Barracks played:
Working with us
Contractors who are interested in working with the RFCA for Yorkshire and the Humber can get more information about our organisation and the work we do by visiting the construction online website.