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New offices and a 32 bed accommodation block at RAF Leeming have been handed over to the Air C2 Force, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) announced on 10 November 2026. The Northallerton site is the first to complete under a landmark Ministry of Defence (MOD) estates contract signed in 2023.
Air Officer Commanding 2 Group, Air Vice Marshal Anthony Lyle, and Commander Air Bases, Air Commodore Simon Blackwell, received the buildings at a handover event attended by the project team and contractors.
At a Glance
- The Defence Infrastructure Organisation has handed new offices and a 32 bed Single Living Accommodation block at RAF Leeming to the Air C2 Force.
- Construction began in September 2025 on a project the MOD puts at around £15 million.
- RAF Leeming is the first project to start and the first to finish under a contract signed in 2023 as part of the Defence Estate Optimisation Portfolio.
- Galliford Try delivered the build, with Arcadis providing design assurance on behalf of the MOD.
- Both buildings use air source heat pumps, solar panels and harvested rainwater.
What Has Opened at RAF Leeming?
The project delivers two buildings, a new office block and a 32 bed Single Living Accommodation (SLA) block, which is the MOD's term for on base housing for service personnel. The department describes the £15 million scheme as essential infrastructure that lets the RAF make best use of its estate while providing capabilities it calls critical to Defence.
Work began on site in September 2025, so the build has taken roughly 14 months from groundbreaking to handover. The announcement does not give the exact date of the ceremony, only that it marked the formal transfer of the buildings to the RAF.
The facilities are for the Air C2 (Command and Control) Force, which will now complete its move to the Yorkshire base. DIO project manager Nicola Bond said the force “can now complete their move to RAF Leeming, where we have delivered new sustainable infrastructure to support their vital work”.
What Does the Air C2 Force Do?
The Air C2 Force keeps watch over the skies. According to the MOD, it is responsible for 24/7 air surveillance of the UK, assigned NATO airspace and other overseas locations, and it directs military air systems to safeguard the UK and its NATO allies.
It has not had a settled home for long, Bond said the force relocated from RAF Scampton in 2022 and has since been based across three sites, RAF Leeming, RAF Boulmer and RRH Staxton Wold. She described the new buildings as bringing that journey “to a successful conclusion”.
The announcement does not say how many personnel will work in the new offices, nor when the move will be fully finished. The 32 beds in the accommodation block are the only capacity figure the MOD has given.
Who Built the New RAF Leeming Facilities?
The DIO managed construction on behalf of the MOD, Galliford Try won the contract to develop the design and deliver the buildings, while Arcadis supported the work with design assurance.
Bond acknowledged the build had not been trouble free. “This project, like any, has brought challenges,” she said, but she credited collaboration between the RAF, DIO and external partners for a successful completion and handover. She added that she was very proud of the infrastructure her team delivered. The announcement does not describe what the challenges were.
Away from the main contract, Galliford Try also funded and refurbished the Cinebowl on the site as part of a social value initiative. The Cinebowl has a cinema and ten pin bowling, and the MOD says it provides entertainment and recreation for the Service families based at what it calls a remote site.
What Is the MOD's Defence Estate Optimisation Programme?
RAF Leeming is part of something much bigger than one base. The project sits within the MOD's Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Portfolio, which the department calls the single biggest estates change programme within Defence. Its stated aim is to invest in a smaller, more efficient estate.
The contract was signed in 2023 and brought seven contractors into a single process to deliver a large number of regional packages of work. The MOD says this lets the firms share best practice and innovative design options that focus on the needs of military personnel, while keeping a consistent approach to sustainable building practices.
Leeming was both the first project to break ground and the first to complete under that contract. The announcement does not say how many other packages are in the programme, what they cost in total, or when the remaining ones are due to finish.
Heat Pumps, Solar Panels and Rainwater, How the New Buildings Are Designed
Both the office and SLA buildings use a pre-cast concrete construction system, which the MOD says delivers high levels of air tightness and energy efficiency. Heating comes from air source heat pumps, which are powered in part by solar panels, and the buildings use harvested rainwater.
The department says the combination makes the facilities cost effective to operate and maintain. No figures for running costs or energy savings were included in the announcement, so that claim remains the MOD's description rather than a published result.
Taken together, the Leeming handover gives the Air C2 Force a permanent base for part of its air surveillance work and gives the DEO programme its first finished building. What the programme delivers across the rest of the estate will depend on the other regional packages still to come.
Key Takeaways
- The new offices and 32 bed accommodation block at RAF Leeming were handed to the Air C2 Force on 10 November 2026, around 14 months after construction began.
- The Air C2 Force is responsible for 24/7 air surveillance of the UK and assigned NATO airspace and has been based at Leeming, Boulmer and Staxton Wold since leaving Scampton in 2022.
- The build is the first completed under the MOD's 2023 contract with seven contractors, part of the Defence Estate Optimisation Portfolio.
- The MOD says the pre-cast concrete buildings use air source heat pumps, solar panels and harvested rainwater to keep running costs down.
- The MOD has not published staffing numbers for the new buildings, a full move date, or running cost figures.
Sources & Further Reading
- GOV.UK - RAF handed keys to new facilities at RAF Leeming Archived copy (OGL): archived page