Faslane naval base prepares for major expansion

Faslane is undergoing a significant expansion, with personnel numbers set to increase by nearly 40%, as revealed in a recent report by The Lochside Press.

This expansion includes plans for new infrastructure to support the forthcoming Dreadnought-class submarines. The base, located on the Gareloch, has seen all its 2,602 cabins built within the last two decades.

However, an additional 1,025 cabins are now being planned to accommodate staff relocating to the Clyde for the new Royal Navy Submarine Training Centre, slated to open in 2025.

Commander Peter Noblett, executive officer at HM Naval Base Clyde, shared these updates with the Rhu and Shandon Community Council. He highlighted that many current buildings at the base are “nearing the end of their serviceable life” and will be replaced in the coming years. Commander Noblett also noted the need for “additional infrastructure work around jetties and docking facilities” to support the new Dreadnought submarines. He expressed optimism about local economic benefits, citing “plenty of employment opportunities within the base, ranging from multi-million pound project managers to part-time catering and cleaning staff.”

“HMNB Clyde is looking forward to an extremely busy couple of years in terms of base infrastructure. As most of you will know the modern HMS NEPTUNE was opened in 1968 to base the new RESOLUTION Class Polaris submarines, so consequently a lot of the infrastructure dates from the same period.

Whilst all current accommodation (2602 cabins) has been renewed over the last 20 years or so, there is still the need to build more accommodation to house the additional personnel that the Royal Navy Submarine Training Centre (RNSTC) will bring North from Torpoint in Cornwall when it opens fully towards the end of 2025. New accommodation of 1025 cabins will be built to cater for this increase. There are also many buildings in the working areas of the base which are nearing the end of their serviceable life; consequently there will be a lot of building work over the next few years replacing those buildings.

Finally the introduction of the new DREADNOUGHT class Trident submarines within the next 10 years will require additional infrastructure work around jetties and docking facilities. The good news for the local economy is that there are plenty of employment opportunities within the base, ranging from multi-million pound project managers to part-time catering and cleaning staff. There will undoubtedly be a huge demand for hotel accommodation for all the additional contractors.”

In related news, figures uncovered by Deidre Brock, MP for Edinburgh North and Leith, reveal that over 6,000 people are currently employed at Faslane and Coulport. These figures emerged following a series of questions Brock posed in Parliament about employment at HMNB Clyde.

James Heappey MP, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Ministry of Defence, provided detailed responses, indicating that a significant portion of the personnel at these locations are Scottish taxpayers. Specifically, 38.4% of uniformed Royal Navy Service personnel, 91% of civilian employees who are not contractors at Faslane, and 88% to 89% of uniformed contractors at Faslane and Coulport are Scottish taxpayers.

This data underscores the substantial local employment impact of the naval bases, with a total of 4,583 Scottish taxpayers among the 6,068 civilian and military personnel working at Faslane and Coulport.