The great barracks sell off - MOD's Shropshire sale bonanza

The Ministry of Defence is expected to unlock thousands of acres of land for housing and businesses.

It released a list of 13 sites this week where space would be created for more than 17,000 homes, a step towards an eventual target of 55,000 homes created on MoD sites.

More importantly for a department told to find £1 billion in savings, it is expected to raise £225 million in hard cash.

Shropshire is at the heart of the programme of savings, with three high profile sell-offs announced at Telford's Donnington, Copthorne in Shrewsbury and Tern Hill near Market Drayton.

It means the end of an era for communities where the presence of the armed forces has become a part of the fabric of life.

Among facilities to be sold across the country is the historic Plymouth headquarters of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines at Stonehouse.

Defence sources said that the Marines had "outgrown" the buildings, which date back to the 18th century and have long been associated with the commando force.

The Brigade is to be relocated to a new home with facilities suited to their modern requirements.

Defence Minister Mark Lancaster said consultations will take place over the coming weeks with "stakeholders", including trade unions, to determine the future of each site and their occupants.

"I acknowledge that these moves will have an impact upon civilian and military staff," said Mr Lancaster. "The department is making arrangements to provide for units and functions based at sites which will not have a future defence requirement.

"I will make a further announcement setting out the Estate Optimisation Strategy with details on the sequencing and timing of these moves later this year.

"The release of land by the MoD has the potential to provide land for new homes and we will continue to engage with impacted local authorities to determine how the department's assessment of housing unit allocation against each site may be considered as part of the authority's local plan."

Donnington

MOD Donnington's Parsons Barracks and Venning Barracks were this week among the 13 most recent sites to be named as part of the Ministry of Defence's plans to sell off some of the department's estate.

But the base in Telford still has a future and is currently undergoing a major investment to become the ministry's main logistics depot, in a giant warehouse dubbed the Defence Fulfilment Centre.

The barracks being sold off will make way for commercial developments rather than housing, fitting into the site's role in creating jobs for the town.

Parsons Barracks, off Hortonwood 30, is home to the 174 Provost Company of the Royal Military Police and the Special Investigation Branch.

Venning Barracks, on Donnington Drive, houses the headquarters of 11th Signal Brigade, a medical centre and officers' mess.

The two sites span more than 52 acres, with Venning covering 19.7 acres and Parsons covering 43.2 acres.

Personnel currently housed in the barracks will be relocated elsewhere.

Telford & Wrekin Council has vowed to work with the MoD as work goes ahead.

Russell Griffin, a spokesman for Telford & Wrekin Council, said: "We will work closely with the MoD to help them realise appropriate development on these sites and our planning committee will judge each application on its merits.

"In the meantime, the Defence Fulfilment Centre continues to be built as planned and should be finished before the end of the year," he added.

The new MoD logistics depot is due to open in Donnington next year.

Businesses, officials and employees had long waited to hear whether MoD Donnington was to be the home of a huge warehouse built on the site in Telford for storing and distributing non weaponry equipment to soldiers around the world.

And in February 2015, it was announced that the borough had won the contract ahead of Bicester in Oxfordshire.

Tern Hill

In March the Ministry of Defence announced Clive Barracks at Tern Hill, near Market Drayton, would be sold off to make way for hundreds of homes.

It means a new home will need to be found for the 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment, which is currently based at the barracks, before it is sold by 2020.

Following the announcement, a task force was launched to ensure that the closure and redevelopment of the barracks runs smoothly.

North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson, who is behind the group, wants to reduce the impact the closure will have on people in the area.

This month the group is set to visit Bordon in Hampshire on a fact-finding mission to see what can be learned from other former army sites and applied to Shropshire's when it closes.

The Army's Defence School of Electronic and Mechanical Engineering had a base in Bordon for more than 100 years before relocating to Wiltshire last year.

The 4,410-acre ex-Ministry of Defence site will eventually become home to Bordon's new town centre and thousands of homes over the coming decades.

In the meantime, Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service Academy will use the barracks as a training venue.

Mr Paterson said: "I held a meeting with local councillors and representatives from the Ministry of Defence and they are now working together to make sure we have a plan of action.

"It is very early days but we will be holding regular meetings. We will be going to Bordon in Hampshire in early September to see what they have done since the barracks became empty."

Councillor David Minnery, mayor of Market Drayton, said nothing had been decided for the future use of the Tern Hill site, and that it could be used for new businesses.

Lieutenant Colonel Graham Shannon, Commanding Officer of the Shropshire-based regiment, paid tribute to Shropshire for making the regiment welcome, saying it had become an integral part of the community.

He added the regiment was currently waiting details of where it will be based.

Copthorne

The future of Shrewsbury's Copthorne Barracks has become clearer in recent weeks with the Ministry of Defence announcing that it is seeking permission to build housing on the site.

The site was put up for sale in 2014, although it was then taken off the market at the end of last year as the MoD announced plans to submit a planning application to Shropshire Council, in an effort to increase the site's value.

The proposals outline plans to build 229 houses on the site – 38 two-bedroom houses, 94 three-bedroom houses, 39 four-bedroom houses and four five-bedroom houses.

Under the plans the keep would also be converted into an apartment building of nine two-bedroom flats, and a block of retirement apartments would be built in the north east of the site, made up of 21 one-bedroom flats and 24 two-bedroom flats.

Alongside the proposal to build houses, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, part of the MoD, wants to remove a range of buildings such as stores and offices, single living accommodation buildings and sports and welfare buildings.

Boundary walls would be retained to ensure the security of the site. The proposals for demolition and the creation of housing have both attracted criticism.

Councillor Peter Nutting, who represents Copthorne on both Shrewsbury Town and Shropshire Council, said he hoped the MoD could be persuaded to retain some of the current buildings on the site.

He said: "I accept that they can do what they like but what I want is some common sense for the situation because I believe the development would be better if they retain some of the old buildings and the character of the site."

Meanwhile, Councillor Malcolm Price Shropshire Council's cabinet member responsible for planning, said he was disappointed that the MoD had not discussed its plans with the authority. He said: "Rather than just maximising value for the land it should be what works best for the site and for Shrewsbury."