265 properties at RAF Brize Norton signal start of largest overhaul of Armed Forces housing in half a century
Enabling works have begun on 265 new-build military family homes at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
This marks the start of the first new Ministry of Defence residential development since 2017 and the opening chapter of a generational transformation of Armed Forces housing.
Planning permission has been granted for the scheme, which will deliver a mix of flats, houses and bungalows on land at Carterton, adjacent to the air base, with full construction expected to begin within weeks.
Wider programme of upgrades across the UK
The Brize Norton development sits within a broader package of investment in military housing. Across the UK, a further 2,000 military properties will be modernised in the next financial year alone, building on the 1,250 worst-condition homes already brought up to standard.
In addition, 1,000 military families who previously had no access to a defence home will be given the keys to a property this year, as the government moves to widen eligibility for service family housing.
£9bn plan represents biggest shake-up in 50 years
The development forms part of the government’s Defence Housing Strategy, backed by £9 billion over the next decade. Ministers describe it as the most significant transformation of UK military housing in over 50 years, with more than 40,000 service family homes earmarked for modernisation, refurbishment or rebuilding.
The strategy also includes an interim rental allowance, intended to support military families in locations where suitable defence housing is not immediately available while capacity on the estate grows.
Defence Secretary John Healey MP said: “At a time of greater global uncertainty, when we’re asking more of our Forces and their families, a decent home has never mattered more.
“Housing is at the heart of all of our lives. And after years of neglect, the new development at Brize Norton demonstrates delivery on our overhaul of military housing. I am determined that British military families will get homes they can be proud of, as we renew our nation’s contract with those who serve.”
Landmark deal brings 36,000 homes back into public ownership
The new homes follow a government deal to return 36,000 properties to public ownership, which ministers say has enabled the generational overhaul now under way. The deal is described as saving the taxpayer £600,000 per day in rent previously paid to a private provider.
Natalie Elphicke-Ross OBE, chair of the Defence Housing Strategy Review team, said: “This exciting new development at Brize Norton shows that the new Defence Housing Strategy is hitting the ground running.
“A further 2,000 defence family homes are set to be upgraded and modernised over the coming year. Making sure that military families have a warm, safe, modern, comfortable home is central to our plan for a generational change to military housing.”
Families given greater voice in decision-making
Alongside the physical investment, the MOD has established a new family-focused committee made up of representatives from across the Armed Forces and Families Federations, giving service families a direct say in housing decisions at every level.
The programme is underpinned by the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, with UK defence expenditure set to reach 2.6% of GDP from 2027 and a total defence budget of £270 billion across this Parliament.
