Sir John Moore Barracks, Winchester

Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO)

Residential

Scheme

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) is progressing proposals to bring forward new development at Sir John Moore Barracks, Winchester. As part of the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Programme, the MOD is proposing to relocate 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.

The site is allocated in Winchester City Council’s draft Local Plan as a site which is capable of delivering significant residential-led development of between 750-1,000 new homes, including a Park and Ride of circa 850 spaces.

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.

Following an all-member presentation to Winchester City Council, the first stage focused on the vision and development principles, sharing the project team’s baseline understanding of the technical constraints and opportunities, and gathering community aspirations for the site’s redevelopment. This saw a range of channels launched to maximise engagement across the wider Winchester area, including a website and bespoke mapping tool, social media campaign, targeted coverage in the Hampshire Chronicle and a pop-up event on the Winchester Market, culminating in two days of engagement events in November 2023 attended by over 180 local residents.

Initial meetings were simultaneously held with community groups and organisations across the area, including Littleton and Harestock Parish Council, The Henry Beaufort School, Cycle Winchester and the Winchester Community Sport Alliance, to understand their aspirations for the site in the context of its draft allocation.

With a majority of respondents agreeing that the vision represents a strong foundation for progressing proposals, and significant support for each of the development principles, the second stage was launched, comprised of a series of engaging community workshops - taking a deep dive to explore the site's history, heritage, context, constraints, climate resilience, sustainability and community.

Outcome

With the third and fourth stages of consultation and engagement planned in spring and summer respectively, and submission targeted in autumn, we are continuing to support the project across 2024 in tandem with the progression of the masterplan.