Homes England agrees partnership for 1,300 homes on army land
An old army barracks in Yorkshire will be the first site to be developed as part of a partnership between Homes England and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO).
The scheme will see 1,300 new homes built at the Claro and Deverell Barracks in Ripon over the next few years as the land becomes available.
In February, the government announced that Homes England would partner with the DIO to develop more than 10,000 homes across seven Ministry of Defence (MoD) sites. The DIO, part of the MoD, manages the country’s defence estate and supports the Armed Forces to live, work and train.
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The Ripon sites will be the first of seven earmarked as part of this plan. Other sites included in the partnership between Homes England and the DIO are: RAF Henlow in Bedfordshire; MoD Site 4 in Stafford; MDPGA Wethersfield in Braintree, Essex; Swynnerton Training Camp in Stone, Staffordshire; Prince William of Gloucester Barracks in Grantham, Lincolnshire; and Chetwynd Barracks in Chilwell, Nottinghamshire.
Housing minister Kit Malthouse said: “We have an urgent mission to build more, better, faster so the next generation can realise the dream of having a home to call their own.
“We’re pulling every lever to deliver homes where they’re needed across the country, including transforming the site of the old Ripon barracks into more than 1,000 new homes for the people of North Yorkshire.”
Plans for the development will be submitted to the council later this year after a series of public consultation events.
Trevor Watson, director of economy and culture at Harrogate Borough Council, said: “It’s encouraging to see the start of this project, between the different stakeholders, start to take shape.
“This development will be about much more than just houses, though. It’s about creating job opportunities, provide the necessary infrastructure, and most importantly, communities that can thrive in the future.”
Catherine Davies, head of estates at the DIO, said: “The MoD has an ongoing commitment to invest in a more fit-for-purpose defence estate that will better support the Armed Forces’ future needs. This brings an exciting opportunity to deliver benefits to the local community on the Ripon Barracks site once it becomes surplus.
“DIO is pleased to be working with Homes England on this project to develop a range of quality homes and supporting infrastructure on these sites to contribute to the needs of the local area.”
