Tri-Service
MoD Announces £140 Million Land Sell-Off
The Ministry of Defence has announced the selling off of 10 military sites for around £140 million, to provide land for new homes.
The MoD says the land will be used to build around 7,000 new homes, and that the funds generated will go back into defence spending.
It expects the majority to be built in time to contribute to the government’s target of 160,000 new homes by 2020.
The move follows the announcement of 12 sites for disposal in January, taking the total sale to around £640 million, with up to 22,000 homes expected to be built.
It's part of the department’s plan to reduce the size of its built estate by 30%. Defence Minister Mark Lancaster said:
"Every pound we make by disposing of excess land will be reinvested into a defence budget that keeps Britain safe."
"It will make the defence estate more efficient and better suited to the needs of our Armed Forces. And it will help thousands of people to own their own home."
The defence estate currently spans 1% of all UK land and covers 452,000 hectares. The department has committed to generating £1 billion through land sales during this parliament and contributing up to 55,000 homes.
The 10 new sites to be released are:
- Thornhill Barracks (Part of Clayton Barracks, Aldershot)
- Burgoyne Barracks (Part of Shorncliffe Barracks, Folkestone)
- Clive Barracks (Tern Hill, Shropshire)
- Fitzwygram House – Royal Army Vet Corps (Aldershot)
- Army Officer Selection Board Westbury (Wiltshire)
- Defence Training Estate land near Cove (Farnborough)
- Rylston Road ARC (London)
- MDP Wethersfield (Essex - pictured above)
- Chetwynd Barracks (Chilwell, Nottinghamshire)
- MOD Cheadle Hulme (Greater Manchester)
Cover photo courtesy of Glyn Baker.
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