Over 300 new houses unveiled for troops and their families

322 brand new homes for military families have been officially opened on the Ashdown Estate in Tidworth, Wiltshire today, 26th February

The homes have been designed with families in mind. The spacious three and four bedroom homes are built around large green spaces and areas for children to play.

Defence Minister Guto Bebb had a chance to speak with families who live on the new estate to hear their experiences of living in these new homes.

Guto Bebb, Minister for Defence Procurement:

"The Defence Estate is where our serving personnel live, work and train. It’s not just a place to live, but a community and it is essential that our Armed Forces families can feel at home wherever they are posted.

"That is why I am proud to support this new development of first class homes for those who sacrifice the most for our nation."

The completion of these homes caps off a successful period for the Army Basing Programme. Alongside this development, over £1 billion has been invested in Salisbury Plain to accommodate the 4,000 troops and their families returning from Germany by 2019. The MOD will provide over 1,300 new homes, 2,600 bed spaces for single soldiers and nearly 250 other buildings such as offices, garages, workshops and mess facilities.

The developments across Salisbury Plain area under the Army Basing Programme will provide an economic boost to the local economy while providing quality facilities for our armed forces to enable military capability.

Maj Gen Richard Wardlaw OBE, Director Basing and Infrastructure said:

"This investment shows our commitment in providing modern first class accommodation for our Service personnel and their families. I hope all living on the Ashdown Estate enjoy their new homes and also benefit from the investment ‘behind the wire’ providing new working and training facilities."