Hundreds of brand-new homes have been completed at Imjin Barracks in Gloucestershire, marking an important milestone in the MOD’s plans to improve housing for Service personnel and their families.
DIO have purchased a total of 281 homes near Imjin Barracks, home to NATO’s Allied Rapid Reaction Corps. These homes were purchased by the DIO from existing developments built by Taylor Wimpey, Bloor Homes and Bovis Homes.
Construction began in 2023 and was delivered in phases, allowing Service families to move in as soon as their homes were ready. Some families have now been enjoying their new homes for almost two years.
These homes have been designed with sustainability in mind. Features include energy-saving solar panels, low-carbon heating systems, smart heating controls and electric vehicle charging points. These modern features are helping Service families reduce their energy use and, in some cases, lower their household bills.
The new homes will be occupied by Service personnel and families from Signals Regiments relocating to Imjin Barracks under the Defence Estate Optimisation Army Programme. In addition to the homes, new and improved infrastructure is being delivered on the barracks to prepare for their arrival, including Single Living Accommodation blocks, new garages and workshops, additional administration buildings and improved gym facilities.
Alongside the new-build properties, existing SFA in the local area has also benefited from investment. Improvements have included upgraded boilers and heating systems, better insulation and the replacement of doors and windows, helping to make homes more comfortable and energy efficient.
This project at Imjin is one of several initiatives underway to improve housing for Service families across the UK. Earlier this year, work also began on the first new MOD-built Service family homes in nearly a decade at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
The latest homes support the MOD’s wider commitment to improving living standards for Service personnel and their families. Last year, 1,250 military family homes were fully upgraded, with more underway this year.
Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry Luke Pollard MP said:
“Our Armed Forces families deserve homes they can be proud of and that’s exactly what we are delivering at Imjin Barracks. These homes are a clear sign that we are keeping our promise to fix military housing once and for all. Backed by our £9.2 billion Defence Housing Strategy, we’re not just building new homes, we’re upgrading thousands more across the country to improve the quality of life for service families.”
David Brewer, Chief Operating Officer, DIO, said:
“These fantastic new homes for families at Imjin Barracks are part of the Defence Estate Optimisation Army Programme to build additional capacity at the site. Building and buying brand new homes is just one of the ways we are improving housing for Armed Forces families, alongside our Defence Housing Strategy which will see thousands of existing properties upgraded across the UK.”
Belinda Lunn, DEO Army Programme Director said:
“As the first large-scale net zero carbon housing development procured for the Ministry of Defence, this investment by the Defence Estate Optimisation Army Programme demonstrates our ongoing commitment to deliver an affordable and sustainable estate. This project means hundreds more Service families will benefit from modern, high-quality homes close to Imjin Barracks.”
Improvements to military family housing are backed by £9.2 billion Defence Housing Strategy, which sets out the most significant transformation of UK military housing in more than 50 years. The Strategy launched a generational renewal of service family housing, including upgrading or replacing nine in ten existing homes in the next decade, as well as turbocharging the development of up to 100,000 homes on surplus Defence land.