The new accommodation is similar to modern college campus

Glencorse barracks in Penicuik, Midlothian, is now the permanent home for the Royal Highland Fusiliers.

The 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, has spent the past two-and-a-half-years in Cyprus.

The Army said the "state-of-the-art" living space had all the amenities expected of a modern college campus, rather than a traditional barracks.

The new facilities include en-suite bedrooms with double beds, satellite TV, broadband and phone access in each room.

The barracks can house about 400 single soldiers and 151 families.

Friday's official opening marks the latest incarnation of the site, which has a history stretching back more than 200 years.

Today's soldiers will and should enjoy modern flats, en-suite bedrooms, satellite TV and broadband access - the sort of things that young men and women in civilian society take for granted John Reid Defence Secretary

Dr Reid said he hoped the "fantastic" campus would help the military attract and hold onto the very best soldiers.

He said: "Today's Glencorse is a lifetime away from the popular image of an Army barracks.

"Long gone are the dormitories and large communal facilities.

"Today's soldiers will and should enjoy modern flats, en-suite bedrooms, satellite TV and broadband access - the sort of things that young men and women in civilian society take for granted.

"But our soldiers, who sacrifice and face so many hardships for so much of the time, somehow have been thought not to be entitled to this.

Rooms include satellite TV, broadband and phone access

"That is a wrong that we are now putting right and it is what we would expect of an Army which is both professional and values the people who serve in it."

In 1803, the camp was used to house French prisoners from the Napoleonic Wars.

Before the revamp began in 2003, the site was used as a recruitment centre and for the basic training of all of Scotland's infantry regiments.