Military families and veterans to be given priority access to new homes on MOD land

In a statement, the MOD said: “The Forces First scheme represents a fundamental shift in how surplus MOD land is developed, prioritising those who have served their country while contributing to wider national housebuilding targets.”

On a site in Feltham, the MOD, Greater London Authority and the London Borough of Hounslow have agreed to adopt a Forces First approach for the affordable homes that will be developed. Work is expected to start in 2029.

The Forces First scheme will form part of the upcoming Defence Housing Strategy, which aims to “turbocharge the development of surplus military land, creating opportunities for Armed Forces homeownership”.

In December 2024, the MOD paid just under £6bn to buy back 36,347 military homes from the private equity firm it sold them to.

This deal came almost three decades after the homes were sold to property firm Annington. It is expected to save the government around £230m a year in rental costs, amounting to more than £600,000 a day.

In April this year, the government committed to spending an extra £1.5bn on improving the state of housing for Armed Forces.

The additional funding brings the total spending on MOD home improvements by 2029 to £7bn. These improvements will include fixing boilers and leaky roofs, as well as treating damp and mould.

The funding is part of the government’s “consumer charter”, committing to new basic consumer rights for military families, such as higher move-in standards, more reliable repairs and a housing officer for every family.

Earlier this year, Inside Housing took a deep dive into the government’s “disastrous” deal with Annington to find out what went wrong and why the MOD agreed to repurchase thousands of military homes.

In June, Homes England announced it had acquired Ripon Barracks from the MOD to pave the way for 1,300 new homes on the site that was scheduled for closure.