SLAM

[endplay]

A friend's child went to Worthy Down on a course and commented on the poor JR accommodation. I was briefing on SLAM circa 2003 and wondered what it's like across the estate now. I left in 07. Never knowingly lied but wonder if I spoke mistruth?

[Willard Whyte]

SLAM. AGM-84E

[Pontius Navigator]

Endplay, the Quarters in WD are dire. The one I was in was concrete slab end of terrace and don't drill into the wall and disturb the asbestos. The quarters on the way in had external insulation added.

WW in deference to your age - Single Living Accommodation Modernisation

[salad-dodger]

Endplay, the Quarters in WD are dire. The one I was in was concrete slab end of terrace and don't drill into the wall and disturb the asbestos. The quarters on the way in had external insulation added.
The OP asked what the estate is like now PN, be interesting to know when you are referring to 40s, 50s, 60s ?

[Pontius Navigator]

S-D, wind your neck in, 2015

[Bob Viking]

That told you, S-D. PN that is the take down of the week. Sir, I salute you.

BV:ok:

[salad-dodger]

Yep, I'll give you that one. But it must the first time it hasn't been some decades old irrelevance, dispensed from the comfort of his bathchair!

S-D

[ValMORNA]

SD's - 1, PN's - 1 : Any advance?

[Fluffy Bunny]

Didn't have any at Arborfield. One block completely uninhabitable and condemmed two years before closure, the rest in a sorry state. Almost but not quite as bad as Nimrod block before it was turned into offices for HQ Air. Bordon was better, but still only equivalent to the likes of the newer blocks (pre-refurb) at High Wycombe.

[Wensleydale]

PN: One from the past for you...


http://www.collectair.co.uk/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/600x600/71ab85a1585f8d2ab134093633835556/s/h/shackleton-badge2.jpg

[Wander00]

Was at WD in late 80s and at the time the only light blue there. Had to invite the RSM to point out to his boys and girls that as I was a senior RAF officer not MOD Guard Force the occasional salute might be in order. "Sah!"

[Two's in]

Had to invite the RSM to point out to his boys and girls that as I was a senior RAF officer not MOD Guard Force

Not to mention all the squaddies thinking you were the RAC bloke come to fix their car...

[tarantonight]

Not to mention all the squaddies thinking you were the RAC bloke come to fix their car...

As as mate of mine commented on what some nearby squaddies might think he was when he attended my wedding in uniform.

[Chinny Crewman]

SLAM, FQs no one cares at Odiham the local housing is so affordable everyone is buying their own. Farnham is the new Officers patch whilst the ORs are in Baso. Anyone with any sense is buying in Reading.

[Dougie M]

Fluffy.
My lad joined the R.E.M.E .at Arborfield and thence to Bordon. Both camps were in sh*t state as far as accommodation was concerned. When Lyneham was first mooted as the "Tri Service Tech Training" centre the first thing that happened was the R.E.M.E. binned both their bases like a shot and were in to Lyneham in short order. Since then the Navy has declined to move from HMS Sultan and the RAF have politely declined to leave Cosford so Lyneham is the spanking new R.E.M.E. headquarters. My lad has offered to show me round the new Corps museum. (RAF Officers Mess) I have invited him to procreate elsewhere.
Conversely I believe that Worthy Down was once the preserve of the Pay Corps so any visitors will be treated to the Victorian splendour of pongo standards.

[Roadster280]

Victorian splendour

Well there's no chance of that in the RAF, is there? :)

[Dougie M]

Actually Roadie there IS one at Halton which is quite spiffy. I was in the Infantry before the Royal Air Force so I know a bit about army accommodation.




http://i1299.photobucket.com/albums/ag76/dougiemarsh/fe1d3452-9ac3-481c-a457-9c9726bea28b_zpsfcvhl3xq.jpg

[Pontius Navigator]

Dougie, of course being an upstart Service we also acquired Bawdsey Manor, Rudloe Manor and Bawtry Hall, sadly all gone.

[MPN11]

...and Bentley Priory, and the Bracknell house, and probably many more!

[Whenurhappy]

SLAM - Single Living Accommodation Modernisation was the name of a specific multi-million pound DBM programme delivering new and refurbish accommodation across the three services, partnered with Balfour Beattie. It was a good programme delivering high-quality and sustainable accommodation built to and exceeding JSP standards, but it was killed off by intransigence and, dare I say, some murky collusion at VSO level.

The Army decided to go down the cheap up-front but ruinously expensive PFI route having really poor quality and short-life 'travelodge' style prefab accommodation on a number of sites. I recently visited one of the sites and was shocked - 10 years on - by the poor state of it, compared with proper SLAM.

SLAM was built to an extremely high standard - not only in build quality, but the design was clever, too. All the furniture could be fitted into the store room each bedroom had; the wet room bathroom 'self flushed' every 28 days if the room was unoccupied to protect against Legionella. Moreover the buildings were hardened specifically against IED attack - an effect known as progressive collapse.

But the problem was not the cost (£45K per room - including a 20 year maintenance programme) but the attitude of some - especially in the army - who stoutly opposed single rooms. As Customer 1 for SLAM, I accepted 3 x 3 storied blocks into service on an army camp and a couple of months later the contractors suggested I might want to have a look at them, so I paid the camp a visit whilst scoping a future build. I asked to look at the blocks and was shown around by the Garrison QM. Was I saw reinforced in my mind how little the army regarded their troops.

I looked at one block. Each floor of each wing had a sitting room, a kitchen and a laundry with a drying room, all furnished as part of the deal with decent fittings. In the first wing I looked at, the kitchen had been stripped of its fittings. When I enquired, I was told that the contractors in 'the cook house' had complained that the troops weren't eating there, preferring to prepare snacks in their kitchens So the garrison removed the kitchens (ovens, microwaves, toasters, dishwashers - the lot). The laundries had been similarly stripped of the high quality washing machines and driers which had been moved to a central (and archaic) 'wash-house'. The common room had been turned into another bedroom, with bunks and ****ty 1950s barrack furniture - the large vision panel into the hallway had been covered with MFO cardboard boxes. A couple of soldiers emerged from a room and I asked to have a look - same thing, narrow metal bunks where there had been decent furniture and a queen-sized bed. The QM was rather vague where the fittings had gone. Furthermore, the walls in the corridors were gouged by bike pedals, and there were bikes staked against the fire exit on the the external staircase. I looked out the window, and where there had been covered bike racks, there was just the concrete pad - the shelters had been moved to other parts of the camp because the Garrison Cdr thought they looked untidy!

I went to see the Garrison Cdr - a FTRS appointment - and he told me in no uncertain terms it was his camp, his rules, and that I should go away. I pointed out that the buildings were to be maintained by the contractor - which included fixtures and fittings - and he indicated that the items had been moved to 'where there was greater need', which happened to be the SNCO Mess.

I complained to DE about it and tried to navigate my way around the Byzantine Army CoC to follow it up. I was met by 'meh'. I gave up, went off to Afghanistan and then moved away from the infrastructure world, vowing never to return!

[Pontius Navigator]

Each Service is different and each branch, regiment and corps etc are all different in terms of ethos and culture.

[jamesman]

To put a bit of context on this subject, having recently departed WD I would agree that the standard of SLAM fpr both students and perm staff is pretty dire (to be polite). However as the place is being redesignated as the home for tri Service Phase 2 (professional) trg for all scribblies, suppliers, chefs & caterers there is a complete rebuild of the camp currently ongoing. A new Offs & Sgts Mess (one building with 2 seperate entrances (looks like a Holiday Inn)), a new JRM, completely new SLAM for Offs, WO/SNCOs (current Sgts Mess is the worst across all 3 services!) and perm instrutors, also new SLAM for students. New gym, HQ building and 60 new MQs (not enough though). Downside, not enough parking planned, current MQs still dreadful, although there is talk of some improvement.

RAF due to move into WD from Halton in 2018, RN due to move in from HMS Raleigh 2018/9, Army due to move in from Deepcut 2017/8.

WD once the home of the singular RAF chap from previous post, will soon be a mainstream posting for instructors of certain branches/trades.

So long and short of it is that the system will not put any cash into redoing the current SLAM as the new accomm is due to be opened in the coming months, aside from things that can be moved from current accom to new accom that is.

[Pontius Navigator]

But if you don't know, WD is well situated off the A34, quiet, and excellent dog walking. A few minutes away, Winchester with the perfect twin location of Aldi next Waitrose. What you can't get on Aldi, pop next door. Then the city main shopping and cafe area is all pedestrianised and has good markets.

Well there have to be some upsides.

[Dougie M]

I would venture to suggest that WD will experience a similar outcome to the tri service tech training plan at Lyneham. This year the army will be clamouring at the walls to get in and leave Deepcut with all it attendant morale woes and shortly afterwards the fisheads will see a good reason why not to leave Raleigh (knots and lashings) then the RAF will find a hangar at Cranwell for the scribblies and squippers. A pound to a pinch of ordure that the creeping green will strike again.

[Pontius Navigator]

Oh Doughie you cynic, how true. I experienced it at first hand and daughter did at WD where she had a captain AGC trying to order her to attend social functions notwithstanding that daughter is a sqn ldr and had light blue functions elsewhere.

[Wander00]

On the subject of accommodation have just seen South Today report on the appalling condition of some families' accommodation. If this was a private landlord and a landlord/tenant relationship the local authority would doubtless be prosecuting the "landlord". What price the "Military Covenant"?

[BEagle]

Indeed, Wander00.

See BBC iPlayer - South Today - Late News: 18/01/2017 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b088jw01/south-today-late-news-18012017) whilst it's still available.