St George's site
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Rutland County Council will work together to explore possible options for the future use of St George’s Barracks in North Luffenham, under joint plans announced this week.
St George’s Barracks has been identified for intended disposal by the MOD in 2020/2021 as part of the November 2016 Better Defence Estate announcement.
Rutland County Council and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) have been in continuous discussion about St George’s Barracks since details of the closure were first announced and will now work together as partners to develop plans aimed at delivering the best possible outcome for the site.
As well as ensuring MOD infrastructure is optimised to meet the UK’s strategic defence needs, the estate optimisation strategy also contributes to a cross-government target of releasing enough land for a potential 160,000 new homes by 2020, with surplus MOD sites to be utilised for housing and other forms of development.
The partnership between Rutland County Council and the MOD aims to make sure the St George’s Barracks site is developed in a way that takes account of existing communities, local needs and the environment.
“The Army has been and will remain a big part of the Rutland Community but the impact felt by the closure of St George’s Barracks will be significant. Looking ahead to 2020, St George’s is a brownfield site and therefore likely to be redeveloped. Early discussions between the Council and MOD have been extremely positive and fostered a genuine appetite to work together as part of an innovative new approach – one that allows the MOD to capitalise on the value of the site, while taking the upmost care to ensure any future development is sensible, sustainable and meets local needs.”
Council Leader Tony Mathias
“We are pleased to work with Rutland County Council to determine the future use for St George’s Barracks. The Defence Estate Optimisation strategy is a long-term approach to transform the defence estate from one built for previous generations of war-fighting into one that better meets the future needs of the Armed Forces. DIO is keen to work with local authorities to ensure that sites released under the strategy are used in a way that benefits surrounding communities, and this partnership with Rutland County Council is an excellent example of that.”
Robert Stone, DIO’s Head of Estates
DIO and Rutland County Council will work together over the next two years to produce a master plan for St George’s and have already begun to seek input from local groups and organisations with an interest in the site.
Local Parish Council representatives, school leaders, healthcare providers, utility companies and businesses were introduced to the partnership at an initial stakeholder event on Monday 25 September, with representatives from the Council and MOD on hand to provide an overview of their proposals and answer questions.
“Our Partnership’s vision for St George’s is the creation of a new ‘garden village’ with the right mix of housing, enterprise, leisure and recreation. This will be a long-term project once the base has closed, with phased development over a period of 10-15 years. Our intention is to deliver quality development, rather than quantity, with appropriate housing density, detailed plans for each area and the right social and economic infrastructure put in place well in advance. Having shared our initial proposals, we will remain in close contact with the local community and want to involve them throughout. This includes people living near to St George’s Barracks, businesses, schools, Parishes and anyone else interested in the project. We’re still in the very early stages but want to be as open as possible about our ambitions for the St George’s site. There will be plenty of opportunity for people to get involved, including formal consultation once plans have been developed further.”
Councillor Oliver Hemsley, Portfolio Holder for Growth
What is the St George’s Project?
The St George’s project is a joint initiative between Rutland County Council, the
Ministry of Defence (MOD) and other local partners to look at possible options for the
future of St George’s Barracks after the base closes in 2020/21.
Why is the Army leaving St George’s Barracks?
St George’s Barracks was announced for intended disposal by the MOD through its
Better Defence Estate announcement, which is part of the MOD’s strategy to
rationalise the Defence Estate. The strategy is a long-term approach to
transforming the Defence Estate from one built for previous generations of warfighting
into one for the future needs of the Armed Forces.
The UK government has also given the MOD a target for land sales which
contributes to a cross-government target to release enough land for a potential
160,000 new homes by 2020. The intention is that MOD sites will be used for
housing and other development, with money from land sales invested back into the
Armed Forces.
What will the closure mean for the local area?
The closure of St George’s Barracks will not come into effect until 2020/21 at the
earliest, after which the site will be vacant.
The Army will continue to be an important part of the local community and options for
the relocation of units currently occupying St George’s Barracks remain subject to
assessment. These include potential relocation to the Defence Animal Centre at
Melton Mowbray and Kendrew Barracks, Cottesmore.
In the long-term, St George’s Barracks is a brownfield site and is likely to be redeveloped.
The focus of our partnership is on making sure any future development is
sensible, sustainable and meets local needs.
Who is involved?
Rutland County Council and the MOD are leading the St George’s project by way of
a unique public/public partnership. We also have the support of several other
organisations, including: Greater Cambridgeshire Greater Peterborough Local
Enterprise Partnership (GCGP LEP), East Leicestershire and Rutland Clinical
Commissioning Group (ELRCCG), One Public Estate and the Department for
Communities and Local Government. Moreover, we are actively engaged with a
range of wider stakeholders, such as utility companies.
What is the Council/MOD proposing?
Our shared vision for the St George’s site is a successful mixed-use, sustainable
community with four zones: a new ‘garden village’, a business /enterprise zone,
leisure and recreation and minerals extraction.
This would be a long-term project with phased development of the site over a period
of 10-15 years. Our plans focus on the quality of development, rather than quantity,
with appropriate housing density, detailed plans for each phase/area of the site and
ensuring the right infrastructure is put in place well before the site is occupied.
What are the alternatives?
We believe that the partnership approach between Rutland County Council and the
MOD is the preferable model to ensure that the site is taken forward to development
taking into account in its very early stages the needs of existing local communities,
the environment and the UK Government’s housing agenda.
How does this fit in with the Local Plan?
It has not been possible to make any allowances for St George’s in the Consultative
Draft Local Plan, because we don’t yet have enough detail as to the scale, nature
and timing of any development proposals and how they might contribute to the
assessed needs of Rutland.
Our current Core Strategy policy for redundant MOD bases has been rolled forward
in the Consultative Draft Local Plan, while polices will be reviewed in time for the
next version of the draft Local Plan.
How can members of the community get involved?
Having shared details of our proposals with the local community, we plan to keep in
close contact with all key stakeholders. This includes members of the community,
businesses, schools, Parish representatives and anyone else who has an interest in
the project.
We will hold regular meetings to provide updates on our progress and seek your
input, as well as making information openly available online. Individuals will have the
option to join a dedicated focus group and statutory consultation will take place at a
future dates, as required.
What will be developed on the site?
The MOD and Rutland County Council will lead on master planning for St George’s,
with input from local groups and organisations that have an interest in the site.
Our goal is the creation of a new ‘Garden Village’ with the right mix of housing,
enterprise, leisure and recreation. Our partnership agrees that any development will
be built to a high quality, meet local needs and have the right infrastructure put in
place well in advance.
How many new homes will be provided?
This has not been decided and will be determined following the outcome of master
planning, a minerals assessment and a market assessment.
Why is a minerals assessment needed?
The full scale of the St George’s project is currently unspecified due to an unknown
quantity of minerals below the site, the extraction of which takes priority over any
future development opportunities.
This could limit proportion of the site for development, although land would be made
available again in future years, once extraction is complete. A survey is planned to
understand full impact of the minerals issue – results are expected before the end of
this calendar year.
When will the development start and finish?
We do not want the St George’s site to be left vacant for any significant period of
time as this can create problems for the local community. We therefore hope to
begin development as soon as the site is disposed of, this is currently scheduled for
2020/2021.
The development of St George’s will be a long-term project and is expected to take
place over 10-15 years, following the closure.
Will there be new health and education facilities to support the growth in
population?
Our partnership has agreed that putting appropriate infrastructure in place early is a
top priority.
As a result, the St George’s project will be frontloaded to ensure infrastructure needs
are identified and met prior to the site being occupied. This includes physical
infrastructure like roads, public transport and utilities – all of which have already
been engaged. It also includes social infrastructure such as healthcare, education,
conveniences and community facilities.
As part of this process, the Council and MOD will seek to utilise the government’s
Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF), which offers £2.3billion to deliver new physical
infrastructure that supports new and existing communities.
Will the development be part of Edith Weston or North Luffenham?
St George’s will be a new settlement and not an extension of any existing
community. With this in mind, the Council has already begun to consider what new
provisions may be needed in relation to community governance.
How can I find out more?
If you have further questions about the St George’s project or would like any
additional information, please contact us by emailing: stgeorges@rutland.gov.uk
