Ministry of Defence hires advisers to develop surplus land

The Ministry of Defence has hired a band of advisers to help it work up plans for residential development on its surplus land. The six contracts will partner Savills, Avison Young and WSP GL Hearn with technical consultants Tetra Tech, Jacobs and Drees & Sommer. The firms will advise on how former military sites can be redeveloped for residential and commercial use to support local communities. The move comes as part of a £5.1bn investment to modernise the infrastructure supporting military personnel and their families. Catherine Davies, head of estates for the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, said: “Working with industry experts helps us to ensure we are finding the right future use for sites which are surplus to military requirements, considering local needs and generating value for the taxpayer. These appointments offer a great opportunity to embrace social value, to create diverse teams working on MoD sites and to positively impact local communities.” At Avison Young, which had already helped the ministry dispose of surplus sites under an earlier contract, principal and project lead Barney Hillsdon said: “This is a fantastic reappointment for Avison Young and provides us with the opportunity to build on the significant progress we have made across the portfolio during the last five years. The surplus land provides the opportunity to deliver much-needed private and affordable homes across the UK, with many also bringing new commercial and social infrastructure to a number of communities.” Angus Martin, divisional director at Drees & Sommer UK, said “We look forward to collaborating with our partners to create modern, efficient and resilient facilities that will significantly benefit military personnel and their families and enable the re-use of surplus sites to deliver new housing and meet the needs of local communities.”  Photo by Penelope Barritt/Shutterstock (9266077w)