Update on Telford barracks' future due in the autumn

Parsons Barracks and Venning Barracks in Donnington have been named among 13 sites that the Ministry of Defence plans to sell.

An update on the progress on the project will be given to Parliament later this year.

An MOD spokeswoman said “Following the Better Defence Estate announcements last year, both Parsons and Venning Barracks are identified for disposal.

"We will provide an update on the progress of this work in our first annual report to Parliament in Autumn 2017.”

The two barracks, along with Clive Barracks in North Shropshire have been named among 13 sites that the Ministry of Defence plans to sell to make way for 17,000 homes across the UK - but it says the Telford site has been earmarked for commercial purposes.

The Government has said the sell-off will raise about £225 million which will go back into funding the armed forces.

It is part of a bid by the MOD to increase the efficiency of the defence department's estate, and as a contribution to the Government's target of releasing enough public sector land for 160,000 homes by 2020.

In three tranches of sites, the MOD has released enough brownfield and surplus public sector land for up to 39,000 new homes, expected to generate a total of £930 million.

The MOD says the new release is part of a strategy to reduce the size of its estate, which currently covers over half a million hectares