Copthorne Barracks was a British Army military installation located in Copthorne, Shrewsbury. The barracks were constructed between 1877 and 1881 and served as an army barracks from 1888 until their closure in 2015.

As the principal contractor working on behalf of Bellway, the residential property developer, we were tasked with conducting the asbestos removal, internal soft strip, demolition and site clearance of the former Copthorne Barracks site, which covered an area of 14 acres. The 19th-century ‘Keep’ was to be preserved for future conversion into apartments.

The site included forty buildings and structures previously used by the MoD, all of which were soft-stripped, mechanically demolished and their floor slabs and foundations removed. More than 300,000 bricks, as well as large quantities of slates and timber, were reclaimed and recycled.

Upon completion of the demolition, the site was graded in preparation for the next phase of development. The works were completed ahead of programme.

Known as Copthorne Keep, the new housing development now enjoys a historic location on the site of the former Copthorne Barracks.