Since the decommissioning of Vulcan, there has been a lot of activity on site preparing the way for building a significant extension to house the upgraded facility.
3rd April and 8th April: TAW's outer wall being taken down and cleared
In spring 2025, part of R1 was demolished, removing the old Vulcan Target Area West (TAW), and Laser Area 5. The old rooms were stripped down in February, while weatherproof walls and supports were constructed to prepare for removal of the roof during March. Demolition works then took place across March and April, with the removal of the roof, internal and external walls, readying the site for construction.
In September, the concrete floor of the old building was dug out, ready for the new foundations. The main building is now on contract for the construction of the new building extension.
22nd September: TAW's concrete slab being broken up and cleared
In the meantime, extensive works have been taking place in the roads around the site of the old facility, moving gas, water and other services out the way to make space for the much larger footprint of the new building. This has been challenging work with legacy asbestos, concrete and services being removed, but the site is now well prepared for the new building.
Friday 14th November: Tarmac was laid over a large portion of the ground south of R1
Construction began in November with work on the substructure of the building. We will start to see changes above ground in the New Year.
