More than 500 military homes set to be built at two of the UK's biggest bases
The MOD has announced it will build more than 500 homes on two of the biggest military bases in the UK.
Included in the announcement were plans to build 265 houses and apartments at RAF Brize Norton and 300 new houses at Catterick Garrison.
Planning applications will, according to the MOD, be submitted in the coming days for the housing at Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire, while plans for Catterick in North Yorkshire will be put across in the spring.
It is not yet clear where the houses will be built on the sites, but more information is expected in the new year.
It follows news of a £6bn deal to buy back thousands of military homes, bringing them back into public ownership.
From 9 January, Armed Forces housing will be put back into public ownership with the Ministry of Defence set to buy back 36,347 homes from property firm Annington Homes Ltd.
It reverses the sale of the properties that took place in the 1990s and forms part of the MOD's plan to try to boost military morale and tackle recruitment and retention challenges.
Speaking to BFBS Forces News about the deal, the Defence Secretary said the deal would offer value for money for taxpayers.
"One of the worst features of what is probably one of the worst ever privatisations was that not only did we have to pay over £200m a year just to rent the homes back, that's more than £600,000 a day, money that we could not be spending on upgrading homes," John Healey said.
"We had to give back hundreds of those homes every year, we had to make them good before we gave them back, so we broke free of that bad deal."
Mr Healey said problems with military accommodation would not be fixed overnight, but said this was a "decisive break with the failed approach of the past and a major step forward".
"This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, not only to fix the dire state of military housing but to help drive forward our economic growth mission, creating jobs and boosting British housebuilding," he said.
"Our Armed Forces and their families make extraordinary sacrifices: theirs is the ultimate public service.
"It is shameful that in the lead-up to Christmas, too many military families will be living with damp, mould and sub-standard homes – issues which have built up over the past decade.
"We are determined to turn this around and renew the nation's contract with those who serve."
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