A MULTI-MILLION pound programme of investment in new accommodation is under way at RAF Benson near Wallingford.

The Ministry of Defence has submitted a planning application to South Oxfordshire District Council for a single-storey accommodation block at the base.

There are about 1,950 staff at RAF Benson, the home of Puma and Merlin helicopters.

Spokesman for the base Nikki Hamilton said two new barrack blocks were being planned.

One is a 72-bed block for senior non-commissioned officers, while the other is a 54-bed block for junior ranks.

A planning application for one of the blocks has now been submitted to South Oxfordshire District Council, and Ms Hamilton said the RAF hoped they would both be completed by next April.

She added: “New accommodation on the base means our staff will not have to rent alternative accommodation in Wallingford. This helps to build a sense of community, especially if staff are new to the RAF.”

Service families’ accommodation is also being refurbished in a £2.8m project to fit married quarters with new boilers, bathrooms, showers and kitchens.

Sheryl Godwin, wife of Flt Lt Dave Godwin, said she was delighted that a new kitchen was being installed at her home in the senior non-commissioned officers’ block.

She said: “I am really pleased with my new kitchen – it makes the married quarters feel more like a 21st century home.

“The old kitchen was okay but it was outdated and not very user-friendly.

“It’s great that money is being invested into married quarters.”

Officers’ mess accommodation is also being revamped in a two-year scheme costing £1.8m.

Further work is also being carried out around the base – including replacing eight sets of doors on four hangars – while new heating and hot water systems are being installed in single living accommodation and communal buildings.

It was announced in 2011 that the Puma fleet would remain at the base until at least 2025 as a Mk2 version of the current helicopter, HC1, was announced.

Wallingford’s mayor-elect Bernard Stone said: “It’s very good news that money is now being invested in accommodation on the base. Anything that further secures the future of RAF Benson has to be welcomed and I’m sure there will be no objections to the plans.

“On Wednesday, June 26, there will be an event on the Kinecroft to celebrate Armed Forces Day and the town’s close links with RAF Benson.

“When you take into account staff and their families, there are about 4,000 people on the base.”

RAF Benson’s future was secured in 2009 when Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth said there would be “no change” in the arrangements for Puma and Merlin helicopters based there.

The following year, one military family living at RAF Benson complained about accommodation provided, claiming her family had been forced to move into a run-down property on the base when her husband relocated from Northern Ireland last year.

But the MoD said at the time that the “vast majority” of the homes were in the top two standards of the ministry’s conditions.

Consultation on the proposed single-storey building for shared living accommodation for RAF personnel is due to end on April 12, with an SODC decision due by May 15.