3 Nov 08

The largest bat mitigation scheme in Europe is based across the garrisons of Aldershot and Salisbury Plain which are being redeveloped under Project Allenby/Connaught. The £8bn, 35-year contract is being delivered by the MoD and Aspire Defence to upgrade and maintain soldiers' homes in barracks in the south of England.

The project, which is reversing years of under investment in the Army’s estate, is improving the quality of life on the garrisons for soldiers – and for bats.

Sustainability lies at the heart of Project Allenby/Connaught and includes a range of environmental features including special bricks to encourage nesting bats.

More than 2,500 bat bricks – containing cavities in which bats can roost – are being fitted into new buildings which are being provided across the garrisons of Salisbury Plain and Aldershot.

The old accommodation, which is being replaced across the garrisons, provided ideal living conditions for the bat population. Bats do not nest, they like to hang or creep into dusty cracks and crannies. So, to help the bats continue to thrive on the changing garrisons, new homes need to be provided to compensate for the old ones which are lost as the old Victorian and Edwardian buildings are demolished.

Bats, such as the brown long eared and common pipistrelles – a protected species – which are found on Salisbury Plain, rely on shelter away from predators and a constant water and insect supply to survive – they can eat up to 3,000 insects a night! Aspire Defence commissions a survey by a licensed bat worker of every old building before it is demolished and makes sure there are new bat roosts in the modern accommodation buildings to compensate.

Lorna Russell, Environmental Manager for Aspire Defence said, ”All buildings to be demolished are surveyed for bats and nesting birds with sign-off by a licensed bat surveyor. In addition, single living accommodation is being fitted with a range of bat mitigation measures. Our buildings will incorporate over 2,500 bat bricks, as well as specially-designed ‘bat cavity spaces’, squeeze boxes in lofts and partitioned loft spaces – making Project Allenby/Connaught the biggest residential bat mitigation projects in Europe.”

Sustainability is at the heart of the Project throughout design, construction and service delivery. Aspire Defence is committed to making soldiers' lives better – and more environmentally friendly!

Bat facts:

• bats are the only mammals that fly
• they have excellent navigation skills – they won’t get caught in your hair!
• they are social animals, living together in colonies
• bats can live up to 30 years
• bats feed and fly in the dark
• bats in the UK only feed on insects which they catch in flight or pick off water, foliage or from the ground
• there are 17 species of bat in the UK
• vampire bats do exist in central and south America but feed mostly on cattle and other livestock

For further information please contact:

• Julie Robertson, Corporate Communications Manager, on 07786 684940 or email julie.robertson@aspiredefence.co.uk
• Sarah Rolfe, Communications Officer, on 07776 244774 or email sarah.rolfe@aspiredefence.co.uk

Ends

Notes to editors:

In all, some 530 new and refurbished buildings will be delivered and serviced under Project Allenby/Connaught, creating campus-style communities with high quality accommodation, amenities and services for some 18,700 soldiers – 20% of the British Army.

To date, 161 new or refurbished buildings have been delivered across the Project. These range from junior ranks single living accommodation 36-man blocks and 8-man houses, officers’ single living accommodation blocks, diners, recreation and leisure facilities, training wings and regimental headquarters. Already more than 2,500 soldiers are now living in their own single ensuite bedrooms.

Aspire Defence Limited

Aspire Defence Limited is a joint venture between Carillion (50%), KBR (45%) and HSBC Infrastructure (5%). Aspire Defence Capital Works (construction) and Aspire Defence Services (FM) are both 50:50 joint ventures between Carillion and KBR.

Aspire Defence Limited was awarded the contract for Project Allenby/Connaught by the Ministry of Defence in March 2006. Since then it has successfully delivered against an ambitious programme of redevelopment and services delivery that will last 35 years and is worth some £8 billion. Aspire Defence will deliver and maintain 11,500 single en-suite bedrooms together with dining centres and new facilities such as theatres and community centres, supporting the changing needs of the Army for more than 18,700 military personnel in garrisons across Salisbury Plain and Aldershot.

For more details, please visit www.aspiredefence.co.uk

Carillion

Carillion is one of the UK’s leading support services, Public Private Partnership project and construction companies. The Group has annual revenue of around £5 billion, employs some 50,000 people and operates across the UK, in the Middle East, Canada and the Caribbean.

In the UK, Carillion’s principal market sectors are Defence, Education, Health, Facilities Management & Services, Rail, Roads, Building, Civil Engineering and Utilities Services.

In the Middle East, Carillion’s principal market sectors are Construction and Facilities Management. In Canada and the Caribbean, the Group’s main sectors are Health, Roads Maintenance and Construction.

Carillion has a substantial portfolio of equity investments in Public Private Partnership projects, particularly in the Defence, Education, Health and Transport sectors.

Carillion secured first place in the category for large and medium-sized companies with high environmental impact and second place overall in the inaugural Sunday Times Best Green Companies Award published in May.

For more details, please visit www.carillionplc.com

KBR

KBR is a leading global engineering, construction and services company supporting the energy, petrochemicals, government services and civil infrastructure sectors.

KBR provides programme and project management, contingency logistics, operations and maintenance, construction management, engineering and other services to military and civilian branches of governments and private clients worldwide.

For more details, please visit www.kbr.com