FORCES FOR GOODlocal benefits from surplus military landresearch by Julian Dobson for the Bill Sargent Trust

THE BIG ISSUEAn unprecedented amount of military land will be sold

between now and 2020. If it is done well, there could be huge long term benefits for ex-service personnel and local

communities. If it is done badly, years of blight and extra public expense are likely.

Former RAF Binbrook, Brookenbypicture by Fen Kipley, Community Lincs

THREE BIG PRESSURES

The scale of defence cuts: Minimum of 17,000 armed forces and 25,000 civilian job losses.

The scale of military landholdings: MOD owns 1% of UK land. Restructuring will make much of it surplus to requirements.

Pressures on the Ministry of Defence: MOD is expected to use land sales to generate income to balance its budget - generating £3.4bn from 1998-2008. This incentivises short-term thinking.

WHEN IT ALL GOES WRONG

Rowner estate, Gosport:

£145m regeneration scheme required after piecemeal land

sales in 1980s and 1990s

WHEN IT ALL GOES WRONG

RAF bases, Lincolnshire:

Cost of additional public services for rural communities

estimated at £20m+(data & picture from Fen Kipley, Community Lincs)

WHEN WE GET IT RIGHT

Caterham Barracks, Surrey:

Affordable homes and community facilities owned by

a resident-controlled trust

WHEN WE GET IT RIGHT

Aldershot Urban Extension:

Long term partnership between Rushmoor Council and Defence Infrastructure Organisation to

create shared value

Initial thoughts for Wellesley, Aldershot by Grainger plc

WHO IS AFFECTED?

Local residents: In many areas there are strong social and economic ties between the military and local communities.

Public service providers: Vacant or poorly redeveloped sites have implications for health, transport, education, housing and social services.

Ex-forces personnel: Many ex-service people have strong ties with their base locality. The reuse of surplus sites could provide them with homes or employment.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

Poor decision-making: Many local authorities are not aware of which sites may come up for disposal and have no strategy for their reuse.

Lack of coordination: Liaison between MOD, Homes and Communities Agency, local authorities and residents is patchy. Government departments work at cross-purposes.

Rushed land sales: The drive for a quick capital receipt can lead to sales to absentee landlords or developers that lack capacity to deliver.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS? (2)

Long term blight: Poorly handled disposals lead to a spiral of neglect.

Disrupted communities: Loss of employment and sales of housing to absentee landlords lead to economic and social decline.

Public expense: It can be costly and time consuming to regenerate former military sites sold in poor condition, and to address economic and social disruption.

‘My husband once said it’s easier to do a tour of Afghanistan than to live here.’

Resident, former MOD community, Lincolnshire(from research by Fen Kipley, Community Lincs)

Royal Hospital Haslar, Gosport

WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES?

A future for ex-service personnel: Sites can be reused to provide homes and job opportunities where people have local connections.

Local economic development: New employment uses can compensate for former military employment: Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York hosts 275 businesses and has generated 6,000 jobs.

Affordable housing: Former military sites can meet local housing need, as at Chatham Dockyard.

WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES? (2)

Community assets: Redevelopment can create opportunities for community ownership, as at Caterham Barracks.

Preservation of heritage: Restoration of heritage buildings can create economic opportunities, as at Portsmouth Naval Base Property Trust.

New open spaces: Rainham Marshes was sold to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds as a wildlife site.

‘It’s not just about what you can give away when something’s disposed of, it’s about sharing assets you’ve both

got and bringing them together.’Participant in Bill Sargent Trust policy round table

Rowner estate, Gosport

A FRAMEWORK FOR THE FUTURE

The key partners: Local authorities, Defence Infrastructure Organisation, Homes & Communities Agency, housing providers, community trusts, local residents.

A common bond: The Armed Forces Covenant used as a way of facilitating discussion and planning about how best to reuse sites.

Shared value: Wider economic and social value put at the heart of the disposals process; end target-driven land disposals.

FOUR CALLS TO ACTION

Take a long term approach: Value assets according to long term use and public benefit, not just immediate cash receipts.

Co-operate: Create incentives for departments to cooperate in the wider public interest.

Share good practice: Spread information about what works well and build networks of interested communities.

Learn: Consider international experience and lessons from previous disposals.

FOUR PRINCIPLES FOR SUCCESS

Maximise public benefit from assets acquired with public funds.

Interpret value broadly, building on recent Treasury Green Book guidance.

Localism: ‘Nothing about us without us’ should be a guiding principle.

Long term visions to envisage how surplus military assets can enhance local communities.

‘The full value of goods such as health, educational success, family and

community stability, and environmental assets cannot simply be

inferred from market prices.’HM Treasury Green Book, Annex 2

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