16 Feb 2009

On 16th February Lakehouse's south east regional office proudly celebrated the opening of Building 16 at Cavalry Barracks, the oldest barracks still in use in the British Army. Vice Admiral Tim Laurence, Chief Executive of Defence Estates, officially opened the new facilities, later saying, "This has been an excellent project and I commended your team along with everyone else involved. Overall Hounslow is half way from being one of the MOD's embarrassments to one of our success stories and all concerned deserve much credit."

The refurbishment of this building is the culmination of a large phase of works that Lakehouse has undertaken at the MOD base, breathing new life into disused accommodation and bringing the Grade II listed building back into use.

Building 16 was constructed in 1860 and is believed to be the first ever Married Quarters flats in the British Army. Following a fire, the building had not been used as an accommodation block for twenty years.

The building comprises 24 en-suite bed spaces, 5 bathrooms, 16 common storage/baggage rooms, 5 kitchenettes, 6 laundry rooms, 1 utility room, 1 boiler/plant room and 1 electrical intake room. All the external walls, roofs and floors have been insulated to meet the requirements of current Building Regulations. For the Listed Building Consent, the windows in the building have been extensively repaired and provided with secondary double glazing, as per Defence Glazing Standards.

The transformation has provided 24 Senior Non Commissioned Officers with modern living accommodation.