Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Portfolio

About About DEO

DEODefence Estate Optimisation is athe long-termsingle investmentbiggest toestates modernisechange theprogramme defencewithin estate.Defence, It’sbringing together an ambitious 25-year portfolio of interdependent programmes, construction activity, unit and personnel moves, and siteland disposalsrelease.

It that will deliverinvest a£5.1bn betterin structured,a morebetter-structured, economicalmodern and modernmore sustainable estate that moreimproves effectivelysecurity, supportsresilience, and military capability.

The portfolio was first mobilised in late 2016 to implement the the MOD’s Footprint Strategy (FS) to contribute to the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review’s (SDSR) commitment to invest in key defence sites and reduce the departmentsdepartment’s built estate. SDSR also laid out that the disposal of surplus Defence Estate would release public sector land for new homes as part of wider government housing objectives. FS was announced in part as “A Better Defence Estate” (BDE) by the Secretary of State in November 2016 pledging a multi-billion investment in the estate.

Major investment projects

DEO will will deliver the infrastructure needed to support defence people and core military capabilities. It will enable centres of military expertise by co-locating units thatto improve the effectiveness of their training, and longer-term basing plans, whilstwhile also providing new and refurbished accommodation and facilities for service personnel and their families.

Major projects include the infrastructure for the Army’s STRIKEnew Brigades,structure Armouredunder InfantryFuture Brigades,Soldier, and Specialist Infantry Battalions; Royal Marine estate consolidation; and new RAF Officer and recruit trainingtraining, facilities, as well as the new home for the Red Arrows.

DEO will will also invest in over 25,00016,000 new and refurbished housesservice family homes and single living accommodation,accommodation 145,000m2units, of contemporary office space for over 12,00014,900 people, and101 63 specialist military workshopsfacilities andincluding garagesworkshops, asgarages, well as medical, dental and sports facilities. Constructionamenities ofand thiseducation scaleand istraining calculatedfacilities tofor createover nearly50,000 20,000people.

Construction directhas jobsnow withincompleted theat UK.

Currentlyfive Defence sites and new facilities are under construction at 8six defencemore, sites, with contracts placed for further development at sites across the UK.

DEO and Future Soldier

Future Soldier is a reform of the British Army which aims to create a more lethal, agile and expeditionary force, able to fight and win wars and to operate in the grey zone between peace and war.

There are 35 projects within the DEO Army programme making it the largest proportion of the overall portfolio. This level of work aligns with future soldier as we deliver the infrastructure that is needed to enable the modern warfighting capability and ensure the British Army is ready for the future.

Site disposals

As part of the optimisation process, defence will dispose of sites itthat are no longer requires.suitable Thesefor military requirements. This is a natural by-product of the enhancement of the defence estate as we provide the infrastructure needed by a modern expeditionary force.

Disposing of these sites create opportunities for alternative use, resulting in regeneration, housing or business growth and job creation within the local area. To date, DEO has disposed of 771 hectares of surplus miliary land for both commercial and residential development. This has since been repurposed in a number of ways including a boutique hotel, a school and a film studio, as well as green open space, commercial use and plans for over 6,500 new homes.

Full details of the sites identified for disposal,disposal subject to assessment, can be found in the related documents.

Related documents

• DEO Disposal Timeline 2022 (accessible version) (ODT, 7.8 KB)
• DEO Disposal Timeline 2022 (PDF, 145 KB, 1 page)
• DEO Investment map (PDF, 720 KB, 1 page)
• SRO vision (PDF, 53 KB, 1 page)
• A Better Defence Estate
• Defence Disposal Database

Related news

• Defence Secretary announced five-year plan for key military sites
• Construction begins on DIO’s new Whittington headquarters
• Royal Army Chaplains’ Museum cuts ground in Shrivenham.