Ministry of Defence to spend £9bn renovating army housing | EUROtoday

Thousands of army houses throughout the UK will probably be modernised, refurbished or rebuilt over the subsequent decade beneath a £9bn authorities plan to enhance defence housing.

The Ministry of Defence’s new housing technique will see enhancements made to virtually all of its 47,700 houses for army households in what Defence Secretary John Healey mentioned would be the “biggest renewal of Armed Forces housing in more than 50 years”.

The plan is in response to constant complaints from serving personnel in regards to the state of their lodging.

In 2022, dozens of members and their households informed the BBC they have been having to stay in damp, mould-infested housing with out heating.

A Commons defence committee final 12 months discovered two-thirds of houses for service households wanted “extensive refurbishment or rebuilding” to fulfill fashionable requirements.

Under the brand new technique, service household lodging (SFA) will probably be refurbished with new kitchens, loos and heating methods.

About 14,000 will obtain both “substantial refurbishment” or be fully changed.

The plans are a part of the federal government’s wider defence housing technique, to be revealed on Monday. A complete of £4bn in funding to sort out the housing downside had already been introduced.

The authorities says it has additionally recognized surplus MoD land which could possibly be used to construct 100,000 new houses for civilian and army households.

Healey mentioned: “This is a new chapter – a decisive break from decades of underinvestment, with a building programme to back Britain’s military families and drive economic growth across the country.”

Almost three years in the past, the BBC was contacted by households in army lodging in Sandhurst who had been dwelling with out heating for days.

“We’re at breaking point and something has to change. The system is broken,” they mentioned on the time.

In response to the story, the MoD mentioned it was working with its contractors to enhance the service. But a report launched in December final 12 months discovered these issues “still exist”.

“It is shocking that until a policy change in 2022, it was considered acceptable to house families in properties known to have damp and mould,” the report mentioned.

The MoD final 12 months introduced it could purchase 36,347 army homes from property firm Annington Homes for practically £6bn, reversing a privatisation deal struck in 1996 beneath the Conservative authorities.

The deal would save thousands and thousands in hire and upkeep prices, the MoD mentioned, cash that might be put in direction of fixing army lodging.