VE Day is an opportunity to consider the scale of conflict that our Armed Forces have had to face over the years, and to be thankful that these days, the nation’s military requirements are much lower than 75, or even 30 years ago.
With fewer military personnel and facilities needed by the UK and its allies, there’s an opportunity to use former Forces sites to meet the country’s target of much-needed new homes and more than that, to build new communities with amenities and infrastructure to provide new residents with an aspirational quality of life.
Here are just a few examples of such developments with homes for sale right now.
Alconbury Weald, Cambridgeshire
Just a few miles north-west of Huntingdon, this 1,425-acre site was an RAF site which from 1942 was used by the US Air Force and played a major role in hostilities and during the Cold War. It closed in 1995 but is now where 6,500 new homes are to be built over the next 15 years, of which 879 are currently in Phase 1. There will be two new primary schools, a secondary school and three local and district centres across the development, as well as extensive community facilities, a health centre, green open spaces and sports pitches. It has a dedicated enterprise zone with office, manufacturing and light industrial units. Numerous buildings are being retained, renovated and re-purposed, including hangars and a nuclear bunker. A number of housebuilders are currently active, offering a huge range of property types and styles, including Redrow, Crest Nicholson and Civic Living (civicliving.co.uk).
Millbrook Park, Mill Hill, London
Millbrook Park is built on the former Inglis Army Barracks site, which was in use from 1905 until 2007. This Barratt London development be bringing one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom homes, including 345 new apartments and 10 new houses as part of a growing neighbourhood in Mill Hill. Residents will also benefit from access to an on-site primary school, brand new parks, a public piazza and the Millbrook Plaza, which will house shops, offices and restaurants. Prices currently start from £430,000 for a one-bedroom apartment, with two-bedroom apartments and three and four-bedroom houses also available. Incentives currently include Stamp Duty paid and £500 a month towards your mortgage for a year on the current Featured Home, Plot 232 (a fifth-floor, two-bedroom apartment priced £547,000). Find out more about Millbrook Park from Barratt London.
The Crescent, Carterton, Oxfordshire
The Crescent by Annington in Carterton will offer a new collection of 135 three- and four-bedroom homes, on the site of former Ministry of Defence homes linked to RAF Brize Norton. Ideal for families, the development offers a brand new and exciting play area along with two additional smaller play spaces, and is within walking distance of Carterton town centre with its shops, supermarkets, schools, sports centre and skate park. Carterton is situated on the edge of the Cotswolds, and countryside and major towns such as Oxford and Swindon all easily reached. Homes currently start from £289,950 for a three-bedroom semi-detached house, with Help to Buy and Service Discount available. For further information call Connells on 01993 847309 or visit www.annington.co.uk.
Heyford Park, Oxfordshire
In the Oxfordshire countryside outside Bicester, the runway of what was RAF Upper Heyford is still there as the 1,231-acre site welcomes hundreds of new homes, many play areas and sports facilities, a school and some 1.3million sq ft of commercial space (which has created 1,200 jobs). There’s also a lot of recognition of heritage here, including a Cold War gallery, a refurbished control tower and a flight simulator. The site has been designed with a range of neighbourhoods with their own character, with names like Trident, The Village Green and The Gardens. Right now, there’s a whole variety of new homes for sale across these areas, from contemporary design two-bedroom apartments to three-storey, six-bedroom detached houses in more traditional architecture. Prices range from £275,000 to £1million. There are more details at www.heyfordpark.com.
Bruneval Gardens, Aldershot, Hampshire
Aldershot has long been regarded as the home to the British Army and remains a significant military town. Bruneval Gardens, from Barratt Homes, is part of the wider new Wellesley neighbourhood, which will see a large proportion of Aldershot’s iconic former military barracks transformed into a collection of modern homes and public spaces, including two new schools. The development has been commended in the ‘Built for Life’ industry awards, a quality mark that recognises well-designed new homes, neighbourhoods and communities. The new neighbourhood features Wellesley Woodlands, which is made up of around 270 acres of interlinked woodlands, wildlife habitats, canalside walks and lakes. Apartments and houses with one to four bedrooms start at £209,995, but some units are available on a part buy-part rent basis. Find out more about Bruneval Gardens from Barratt Homes.
The Bluebells, Allington, Wiltshire
The Bluebells in Allington is just eight miles from Salisbury, home to Salisbury Plain Training Area. Located within the sought-after Bourne Valley, developer Annington will provide 17 unique and exclusive four- and five-bedroom detached family homes with landscaped gardens and beautiful views across fields and woodlands. A high-quality specification includes underfloor heating throughout the ground floor and quartz kitchen worktops. It’s an ideal place to live for families, with proximity to the city, countryside a number of excellent state and private schools – residents will be in the catchment zone for Salisbury Grammar schools of South Wilts and Bishops Wordsworth. The development is expected to launch later this year, with prices coming soon. Find out more at www.allingtonbluebells.co.uk or call Hamptons International on 01722 417939.
Hayfield Green, Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire
WhatHouse? Small Housebuilder of the Year Hayfield recognises the role of its Hayfield Green site in the story of the Armed Forces. Kelly Sharman, sales and marketing director, said: “Since acquiring the 21-acre former RAF Stanton Harcourt airfield two years ago to transform it into a vibrant new community, we have been working up plans for how we can commemorate two key dates in 1940. On 8th May that year construction commenced and on 3rd September 1940 the airfield and training base was operational, with the first flight taking off. It is incredible to think that in only four months the expansive site was ready to play its part in WWII.” The site is notable for having been a departure point for Winston Churchill for the pivotal Casablanca Conference and was also a starting point for a bomber raid on the German battleship Scharnhorst. Hayfield has chosen to retain and carefully restore 10 airfield buildings and structures. Prices for the current range two-, three- and four-bedroom houses range from £330,000 to £580,000. Find out more at [email protected].