‘Most significant transformation of military housing in 50 years’ announced
Military housing in Northern Ireland is set to benefit from the most significant transformation in more than 50 years.
More than 40,000 service family homes across the UK - including 901 in Northern Ireland - are to be modernised, refurbished or rebuilt.
They will also become part of a standalone Defence Housing Service that aims to better manage military homes while keeping them in public hands, listen to forces families' needs and deliver home ownership opportunities for military personnel and veterans.
The new strategy is backed by a £9 billion investment and also aims to "turbocharge" the use of surplus defence land.
Defence Secretary John Healey has identified the long-term opportunity to build more than 100,000 new homes on surplus Ministry of Defence land for both civilian and military families.
He said the strategy will embed a "forces first" approach.
"Our British forces personnel and our veterans fulfil the ultimate public service.
"Our nation is rightly proud of them, and the very least they deserve is a decent home," he said.
"This new strategy will embed a 'forces first' approach that tells our forces, our veterans and their families: we are on your side.
"We can't fix forces housing overnight, but this effort is already under way and will now accelerate.
"By creating a specialist Defence Housing Service, backed by record investment in military accommodation, we will deliver better value for the taxpayer and fulfil our promise to provide homes fit for heroes."
Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn added: "We ask so much of our Armed Forces personnel and we owe them an enormous debt of gratitude for what they do.
"This investment in Northern Ireland's armed forces housing is an important step to ensure the wellbeing of the service personnel and their families, who do so much for us."