The Government will publish its Defence Housing Strategy on Monday 3 November 2025, setting out a £9 billion, ten-year programme to renew UK military housing. The Ministry of Defence says more than 40,000 service family homes will be modernised, refurbished or rebuilt, alongside a plan to prepare surplus defence sites for housing with scope for over 100,000 new homes.
In what the department describes as the largest upgrade in over half a century, around 14,000 properties are scheduled for substantial refurbishment or replacement. Works highlighted include new kitchens, bathrooms and heating systems to ensure accommodation is safe, secure and fit for purpose.
Funding of £9 billion over the next decade will be allocated to the programme, underpinned by the Government’s uplift in defence spending. The MoD says this builds on an additional £1.5 billion in this Parliament, set out in the Strategic Defence Review, to address the condition of military housing.
The renewal plan is supported by the Annington Homes agreement concluded earlier this year, which returned 36,000 properties to public ownership. The Government estimates the deal is saving around £600,000 per day, with savings to be recycled into improving forces housing and progressing development on defence land.
Alongside direct upgrades, the Strategy outlines a long-term opportunity to deliver over 100,000 homes on surplus Ministry of Defence land for both civilian and military families. The Government frames this as part of its effort to increase housing supply and support jobs; individual projects will be subject to planning approval and site-specific constraints.
To manage disposals and reinvestment, ministers plan to establish a Defence Development Fund. Receipts from the release of surplus land would be reinvested into future housing and estate projects, creating a programme intended to sustain itself across the decade.
The Strategy has been shaped by an independent review chaired by former MP and housing specialist Natalie Elphicke Ross OBE. According to the MoD, the review team drew on a survey of more than 6,000 service families and industry expertise, with delivery aligned to the Armed Forces Covenant.
Ministers say the package marks a decisive break from years of underinvestment that have affected morale and retention among service personnel. Policy Wire analysis: successful delivery will require careful decanting, procurement and phasing across the estate; the full document due on 3 November is expected to set out standards, governance and timelines.
For service families, the stated outcome is modern, safe and comfortable homes. For local authorities and developers, the proposed release of surplus MoD land signals long-run housing opportunities linked to Defence estate change, with timing dependent on planning, remediation and infrastructure capacity.
The Prime Minister, Defence Secretary and Chancellor have endorsed the proposals ahead of publication, describing a ‘generational renewal’ of Armed Forces housing and an economic contribution through construction and related jobs. Policy Wire will review the Strategy on publication to assess site lists, delivery milestones and the operation of the Defence Development Fund.