Plans for £15bn rebuild of nuclear weapons factory

Plans for a mega, hi-tech £15bn rebuild of a nuclear weapons factory are set to be submitted to the local planning authority.

The main planned development for the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Aldermaston, Berkshire, is the multi-billion-pound Future Materials Campus, a major long-term construction programme to replace aging 1950s-1970s facilities.

An outline planning application is expected to be submitted to West Berkshire Council in late 2026.

The authority has to give planning permission for the huge new complex, which effectively rebuilds the nuclear bomb factory, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The proposals mark the organisation's plans to turn Aldermaston into AWE's main operation.

It also has a second sue in Berkshire at Burghfield where warheads are assembled, maintained and decommissioned.

"We have already closed our component factory at AWE Cardiff and have withdrawn from our range facility at AWE Foulness," said an AWE information leaflet.

"We have a long-term intention to reduce our land holdings further by concentrating all of our operations at AWE Aldermaston, if this proves to be feasible."

Tender bids for the construction are already out, with top-tier civil engineering and defence contractors actively competing.

The planned Future Materials Campus is to support the UK's next-generation Astraea nuclear warhead programme.

The investment secures and supports around 9,000 jobs at AWE Aldermaston, with more than 1,500 new jobs created over the preceding year.

"We first had to consider the operational demands that will be placed upon AWE plc in the 21st century," said AWE.

"Our mission is to provide the warheads for the United Kingdom's nuclear deterrent.

"We are, in fact, responsible for the whole life cycle of warheads, from initial research and design, manufacturing and in-service support, through to final disposal."

The site will also enhance scientific analysis, and improve nuclear material recovery and waste reduction.

AWE Aldermaston conducts hydrodynamics experiments in which weapon mock-ups and small amounts of fissile material are subjected to explosive shocks.

The experiments are 'photographed' by giant x-ray machines and analysed with a range of diagnostic equipment.

The new plans for AWE in Aldermaston are also said to include a new Hydrodynamics Research Facility, with greatly improved diagnostics.

A 10-year, up to £900m, framework targeting non-nuclear and supporting infrastructure, including new office spaces, advanced manufacturing facilities, testing laboratories, and site-wide services is also planned.

Following the Ministry of Defence's acquisition of the adjacent 139-acre Aldermaston Park, AWE is integrating the historical site – while developing long-term site perimeter and community access plans.

There are more than 1,200 buildings on the Aldermaston site, more than half of which were constructed before 1960.

The programme is set to span a decade of construction, supported by a broader £15bn Government investment into the UK nuclear warhead enterprise.

Peak construction is expected to generate significant transport and logistical activity along local routes like the A340 corridor.