Pictured above: Richard Brown

Drivers Jonas Deloitte's Birmingham planning team has been appointed by Wiltshire Council to examine how military and civilian communities located on the Salisbury Plain can become more integrated and sustainable.

Following a successful tender for the project, the team has been instructed to undertake a detailed study to enhance the understanding of the dynamics of communities on the Salisbury Plain which includes some 15,000 military personnel and 16,000 dependents.  

The commission also requires the identification of potential opportunities to improve the sustainability of existing and future communities, including opportunities arising from the planned multi-million pound investment associated with the Salisbury Plain Super Garrison Project.

The study will draw on a range of Drivers Jonas Deloitte skills sets involving members of the planning and development, economic development and sustainability teams, from both the Birmingham and Manchester offices.

"Being appointed to this Wiltshire based project further demonstrates our capacity to utilise our Midlands' based expertise to spearhead projects outside of the region," commented Richard Brown, of the Drivers Jonas Deloitte planning and development team. "Our ability to seamlessly offer the required breadth of skills under one roof, allied to our very strong military track record working on a range of projects for the Ministry of Defence and Defence Estates, were key factors in the success of this tender and we aim to use this expertise to swiftly drive the project through to its successful completion.  

"The unique nature of this project and our approach to it has also already attracted the attention of the BRE which has expressed an interest in using the study as a pilot project for completing future sustainability assessments of established communities. It is both hugely exciting and gratifying knowing that the outcome of this project could aid the internationally recognised BRE in determining its future methodologies for sustainability assessments." 

Key to Drivers Jonas Deloitte's tender success was the company's ability to apply the BREEAM sustainability assessment framework as a tool to test the sustainability credentials of communities. 

The project will be based on extensive consultation with a range of groups and organisations representative of the different components of the military and non-military communities on the Salisbury Plain. Together with other detailed baseline analysis, this information will feed into the sustainability assessment framework which in turn will be used to inform actions, potential projects and funding sources which could be used to enhance the integration and sustainability of communities in the area.

The results of the study are expected to be released in July this year.