Scheme

Meeting Place has been supporting the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (an operating arm of the Ministry of Defence) on a project known as Sir John Moore Barracks.

As part of the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Programme, the MOD is relocating the current users of Sir John Moore Barracks to new facilities. In accordance with Treasury guidance, the MOD will therefore dispose of the site when it becomes surplus to military requirements and Sir John Moore Barracks will be vacated in 2026.

Situated to the north of Winchester, the site is allocated in Winchester City Council’s emerging Local Plan (Policy W2) to deliver significant residential-led development of between 750-1,000 new homes, including a Park and Ride of circa 850 spaces.

For all major allocations WCC requires the developers to follow their concept masterplanning process and for the masterplan to go to Cabinet for endorsement before preparing an outline planning application.

Strategy

In line with the team’s commitment to ensuring the proposals for Sir John Moore Barracks deliver benefits for everyone, the high-profile nature of the site and the Winchester City Council Master Planning Approach to Concept Masterplans’, a comprehensive four-stage programme of consultation and engagement was launched in autumn 2023.

This has included:

• A dedicated project website that has included Meeting Place’s unique interactive map feature allowing residents to drop pins on initially the location map, followed by the latest iteration of the masterplan at each subsequent stage.
• Multi-day in person events at each stage:
◦ Stage 1 – Vision and development principles
◦ Stage 2 – Community workshops
◦ Stage 3 – Concept masterplan
◦ Stage 4 - OPA
• Pop-up stalls on Winchester Market working to broaden and diversify feedback from across the city.
• Regular meetings and continued dialogue with Winchester City Council, Littleton & Harestock Parish Council and other statutory consultees, including political briefings to at each stage.
• Dedicated workshops with students at Henry Beaufort School and Peter Symonds College, both of which being in close proximity to the site, in response to having identified a gap in our feedback with the absence of the youth voice.
• Organised guided site tours for councillors and over 100 members of the local community, many of whom had never been on the site before owing to its status as an active military facility.

Outcome

With the Concept Masterplan having been endorsed by Winchester City Council’s Cabinet in February 2025, we are continuing to support the project through Stage 4 ahead of an outline application being submitted.

Related links

• View the interactive mapping tool