A £500,000 investment into an urban training village for soldiers on Salisbury Plain will see new alleyways, compounds and tunnels built alongside high-level walkways and a ‘shoot house’.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is investing the funds to improve facilities at Copehill Down’s Fighting in Built Areas Village on the plain’s training area.

The new provision will add “considerable complexity and flexibility” to training.

As part of the plans, a £190k ‘shoot house’ is being constructed to enable teams to practise their low-level urban skills, such as house clearance.

Major Alistair Rule, training safety officer (Dry) at Salisbury Plain Training Area, said: “Teams will use simulated ammunition.

“This allows for more realistic live training but without the need to provide large danger areas.

“The FIBUA Village is an incredibly important and popular facility which is born out by the numbers who train there.”

Constructed in 1987, the village is a purpose-built facility to allow soldiers to practise fighting in an urban environment.

Over the years it has seen a number of enhancements to meet the changing needs of the Armed Forces.

The cost of the alleyway project is £325k and the work is expected to be completed in early May.

DIO is part of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and is responsible for managing and maintaining land and properties, as well as providing related support services, to meet the current and future needs of the MoD and personnel at home and abroad, and to support current operations.