10 C O N T E X T 1 2 2 : N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1 Will Holborow Regenerating surplus defence sites The handling of designation applications on surplus Ministry of Defence sites can be challenging, especially when they affect plans for disposal or redevelopment. Since the early 1980s, changes in defence policy have resulted in the closure of numerous military establishments, including naval bases, barracks, research facilities and RAF airfields.Areas which have been shaped by their military past, such as Aldershot, Chatham, Colchester, Gosport, Devonport, Portsmouth and Woolwich, have had to adjust to this contraction of the MoD estate by planning for new civilian uses. The next few years will see an intensification of the closure and disposal of MoD sites throughout the UK. The background to changes in the UK defence estate is set out in the government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review, published in October 2010¹. An announcement on ‘defence transformation’ in July 2011 provided details of future distribution of armed forces bases and rationalisation of the defence estate, including confirmation of the future of a number of individual sites. English Heritage advises the secretary of state on the statutory protection of heritage assets through listing or scheduling, including cases which arise from external requests. Over the past 20 years English Heritage has made great strides in understanding and protecting the military heritage of the 19th and 20th centuries, especially through national contextual studies.These include thematic designation projects on topics such as barracks (completed in 1998), military aviation (completed in 2005) and ordnance yards (completed in 2009). Although many disposal sites include listed buildings or scheduled monuments, the historical significance of these sites is often inadequately understood prior to their disposal. This can result in statutory designation casework arising at a late stage in the disposal process. The assets involved are often highly specialised, such as weapons systems, research structures and communications infrastructure. Some sites, including several former military airfields, are protected as conservation areas by local planning authorities. The MoD is required to handle the disposal of heritage assets in accordance with official guidance issued by English Heritage with the endorsement of the Office of Government Commerce and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport ².The aim should be to avoid piecemeal development, which could leave heritage assets isolated, or a protracted period of vacancy, which is likely to result in their deterioration. The method of sale adopted needs to ensure that heritage assets find sustainable new ownership. The MoD may need to assess potential purchasers and their proposals to ensure that they can fulfil agreed planning and conservation objectives. The great majority of disposal sites are sold on the open market for commercial development. Government policy is to obtain best value from disposals, taking into account public and community benefits as well as the financial return to the taxpayer. Although government guidance is clear that maximising receipts should not be the overriding aim where heritage assets are involved, ministers have only rarely been called on to endorse the sale of historic buildings at below full market value. One such example was the sale of the Royal Army Medical Woolwich Grand Store
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