Homes England has agreed a deal with the Ministry of Defence to buy a vacant military site that will be developed into 1,300 new homes.
Ripon Barracks was one of a handful of sites named by the chancellor in March that will be involved in a cross-government push to “unlock” surplus public defence land to accelerate housebuilding.
The site, which includes several military facilities, is scheduled to close next year. It is being sold as part of the MoD’s Defence Estate Optimisation portfolio, which aims to make the defence estate more modern and sustainable.
The plans have involved “extensive collaboration” between Homes England, MoD, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and the Army Basing and Infrastructure Directorate, according to an announcement yesterday.
The development will take place in phases, beginning work to develop 150 homes on the vacant Deverell Barracks site. The remaining areas covered by the deal – Claro Barracks, Laver Banks, and the former Engineering Park – will be developed following the scheduled departure of the Royal Engineers to the nearby Marne Barracks in Catterick.
Homes England will act as the master developer for Ripon Barracks and will coordinate delivery of the infrastructure that needs to be in place before construction can start, such as the planning of site-wide drainage and supporting road networks.
The agency said it will work with the MoD “to honour the site’s military past through appreciative design, landscaping, and interpretive elements within the new community”.
“Core design principles will preserve and integrate notable historical features of the site, such as the linear parade ground layout and the original footpath network,” it added.
The homes will be “surrounded by natural green spaces and complemented by a new primary school, community centre and retail area to create a vibrant new community”, according to the announcement.
Defence secretary John Healey said the government is delivering on its promise to “create a new, trailblazer approach to the use of public land and unlock homeownership for working families in North Yorkshire and beyond”.
“We are working together to speed up planning permissions and housebuilding plans. This is a truly cross-government effort to remove blockers, deliver homes and boost growth in support of our Plan for Change,” he said.
A “tripartite taskforce” of the MoD, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Treasury is working to deliver further planning changes to enable more development.
Housing secretary Angela Rayner said: “Unlocking underused public land like Ripon Barracks is exactly the kind of practical action people want to see, and a crucial part of tackling the housing crisis we face.”
The Defence Estate Optimisation portfolio is “on target” to release enough surplus MOD land for over 32,000 new homes to be built across the country, as well as construction projects such as schools, offices, shops, parks and open green spaces, according to the announcement.
Homes England chief executive Eamonn Boylan said the “milestone achievement” of acquiring Ripon Barracks “is the result of government bodies uniting to drive forward this government’s mission of building 1.5 million homes this parliament”.
“By combining MoD’s land assets with Homes England’s planning and development expertise, we’ve unlocked a site with a historic past which we’re determined will shape the development’s future,” he said.
Similarly, DIO’s deputy head of major disposals, Robert Smith, said the milestone is “testament to the strong collaboration between all partners involved”.
“Ripon Barracks has a rich history and this is an excellent example of how sites that are no longer needed by the military can be unlocked to bring real benefits to the local community,” he said.