News
New (NATO) signal squadron facilities handed over at Beacon Barracks
13 Aug 2025
Steve Cummings
Director
A brand-new £27 million facility, built to accommodate the only British Army unit permanently assigned to NATO, has officially been handed over.
The base, which has moved from Dorset to Beacon Barracks in Staffordshire, will accommodate 280 (NATO) Signal Squadron.
Working alongside contractor Henry Brothers Construction and project manager, Mott MacDonald, Pick Everard provided a full suite of multi-disciplinary design services, including architecture, landsc
The scheme – built within a secure compound – includes offices, conference rooms, a reception area, workshops, garaging, storage rooms, welfare facilities, and mechanical and electrical engineering plant rooms. Solar panels on the roof are helping to power the facility.
As part of the squadron's development, there is also a single-story satellite communications building that, as a Deployable Communication Module, is responsible for installing and managing strategic communication and information systems supporting a deployed NATO headquarters.
“Designing and delivering this facility for 280 (NATO) Signal Squadron with Henry Brothers was a responsibility we approached with great care and pride, knowing the critical role the unit plays in supporting NATO’s communications. Working in close partnership with Henry Brothers and the Ministry of Defence, our team delivered a state-of-the-art facility tailored to the operational requirements to enable the relocation from Dorset.
From integrating robust security measures to embedding sustainable energy solutions, every element of the design was developed to serve the squadron’s mission now and long into the future.”
— Steve Cummings, operations director at Pick Everard
“We were very proud to have been appointed to build this new facility for 280 (NATO) Signal Squadron, which plays a key role in NATO.
Henry Brothers has worked in partnership with the Ministry of Defence and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) at several armed forces bases over a number of years, helping to deliver and improve facilities. We are pleased to have completed this latest scheme at Beacon Barracks, allowing 280 (NATO) Squadron to relocate and move to a new, purpose-built home.”
— MD of Henry Brothers Construction Ian Taylor
The project, which is ranked as Defence Related Environmental Assessment Method (DREAM) Excellent, was delivered by Pick Everard and Henry Brothers Construction for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) via the Crown Commercial Service Framework.
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