The UK government has unveiled a £9 billion plan to modernise, refurbish, or rebuild thousands of military homes across the country over the next decade, aiming to significantly improve living conditions for defence personnel.
According to the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) new housing strategy, improvements will be made to nearly all of its 47,700 homes allocated for military families. Defence Secretary John Healey has described the initiative as the “biggest renewal of Armed Forces housing in more than 50 years”.
This ambitious plan is a direct response to persistent complaints from serving military personnel regarding the poor state of their accommodations.
In 2022, numerous service members and their families shared with the BBC accounts of living in damp, mould-ridden housing without adequate heating.
A report by a Commons defence committee last year revealed that two-thirds of service family homes were in need of “extensive refurbishment or rebuilding” to meet contemporary living standards.
The new strategy will see Service Family Accommodation (SFA) units undergo comprehensive refurbishment, including the installation of new kitchens, bathrooms, and heating systems.
Approximately 14,000 homes will receive either “substantial refurbishment” or complete reconstruction.
These plans are part of a broader government defence housing strategy, scheduled for publication on Monday. The government had previously announced £4 billion in funding to address the housing issues.
Furthermore, the government has identified surplus MoD land with the potential to construct 100,000 new homes for both civilian and military families.
Secretary Healey stated, “This marks a new chapter—a decisive departure from decades of underinvestment, featuring a construction programme that supports Britain’s military families and fosters economic growth nationwide.”
Nearly three years ago, the BBC reported on families residing in military accommodations in Sandhurst who had endured days without heating.
“We’re at breaking point and something has to change. The system is broken,” they stated at the time.
In response to the report, the MoD affirmed its commitment to working with contractors to improve service delivery. However, a subsequent report released in December of the previous year indicated that 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 highlighted.
Last year, the MoD announced its intention to acquire 36,347 military houses from Annington Homes for nearly £6 billion, effectively reversing a privatisation deal established in 1996 under the Conservative government.
The MoD stated that this deal would result in significant savings in rent and maintenance costs, with the funds being redirected toward improving military accommodations.
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