The Ministry of Defence holds one of the largest estates in the country and plans to reduce it in size by 30% by 2040. As part of its Defence Estate Optimisation programme, and the “Better Defence Estate” strategy, the MoD announced in November 2016 that the barracks sites in Ripon will be vacated and used for development.
The sites are:
- Claro Barracks – a 43.8 ha site which contains a technical area with high quality engineering units.
- Deverell Barracks – 11.9 ha site.
Following detailed assessment work concerning the first phase of delivering the strategy, disposal of Deverell Barracks is now expected to commence in 2021, rather than 2020 as previously planned. Disposal of Claro Barracks is expected to commence in 2023, rather than the previously estimated date of 2019.
All military units currently based at Deverell and Claro Barracks will still be moved, although these moves will now be delayed. The joint services adventure training team will move from Deverell Barracks to Halton Training Camp, Lancaster in 2021, and 21 Engineer Regiment will move from Claro Barracks to Marne Barracks, Catterick in 2023.
In February 2019, a partnership was announced between Homes England and Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), which is managing the vacation of the sites for the site. DIO and Homes England are working together to progress development of the site, and seven others like it across the country.
It is aimed that the site will produce 1,300 high quality and affordable new homes for Ripon, alongside a variety of community facilities and services.
A Strategic Oversight Board has been established to manage the strategic vision for the site, with representatives of the LEP, Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council.
Appreciating the importance of the site to the wider area, and to his constituents, Julian has arranged to meet with Homes England to be updated on the plans, and to convey to them the importance of getting the development right for Ripon. Julian is aware of local concerns, particularly about traffic, and will represent these and other concerns of constituents before plans are formally submitted to Harrogate Borough Council later in the year.