H o u s i n g
Defence Accommodation – the Next 10 Years …and what we thought about it
It has been a long time coming but finally, this Autumn, the MoD published the Defence Accommodation Management Strategy. The Executive Summary is re-produced below with extracts from the Chairman’s response to the Under Secretary of State for Defence included.
T
he provision of good quality living accommodation for both married (SFA) and single Service (SLA) personnel
continues to be a top Departmental priority. After decades of under funding, the standard of MoD’s accommodation has lagged behind the expectations of our people in terms of condition, available space and amenities offered.
Investment over the last seven years has begun to correct this, but there is much more to be done. The Department plans to spend some £3Bn in accommodation investment programmes over the next 10 years. Secured and planned funding levels for accommodation are at their highest levels for decades. This paper aims to set out how MoD’s accommodation will be managed over the next 10 years.
Policy. The overall policy remains for the MoD to provide a ‘mixed economy’ in accommodation: publicly provided houses and single rooms at discounted rents for those who need them; the option for personnel to serve accompanied by their families; and a wider range of options for those who wish to buy their own homes.
The Requirement. The MoD maintains some 70,000 houses and 160,000 single bed spaces worldwide. The requirement, both in location and in overall numbers, is constantly changing, as the estate is rationalised to support operational capability and as individual preferences change.
Forecasting requirement is therefore a very uncertain science but by 2020 the demand is expected to have fallen to some 65,000 houses and 140,000 single rooms, driven largely by previous personnel reductions, and rationalisation of the estate onto fewer larger sites.
The overall requirement for both SFA and SLA will be updated by Defence Estates (DE)
20 Winter 2009
every 6 months. The current assumption is that the MoD will continue to provide and manage this stock; however, radical alternatives for families’ accommodation, such as the Australian model of contracting an independent Housing Provider, are being actively studied. Adoption of one of these would radically change the forecast requirement for publicly-owned accommodation.
Grading for Charges. Property is graded for charge in 4 levels determined by: its physical condition; the scale of space and facilities; its location in relation to local amenities; and environmental factors such as noise. The methodology for assessing both the physical condition and the grade for charge of each house or bed space is currently under review.
In parallel the method of capturing and managing data is also being revised. The review aims to introduce a single methodology for assessing the physical condition of both SFA and SLA, and then factoring in a revised set of scale, location and energy efficiency parameters to produce a fairer charging mechanism. The review will be complete in 2009.
Service Families Accommodation (SFA). Since 2001 some 14,000 houses have been upgraded to the top standard for condition. However, the first full condition survey of houses in England and Wales, still in progress in early 2009, has revealed that there are fewer houses at that standard than previously thought. The very detailed information provided by the survey will help target improvement programmes. For SFA the effort is in six areas:
• A programme of major upgrades for houses in the worst condition (Standard 3 and 4), typically providing a new kitchen, bathroom, heating system and often a new roof and windows.
• A programme of condition improvement aimed principally at houses in moderate condition (Standard 2), typically providing a modernised bathroom, kitchen or heating system.
• Improved maintenance delivery through a series of initiatives being rolled out through the spring and summer of 2009.
• Improved stock management with quicker and more effective preparation of houses between family moves. This will help drive down the number of ‘void’ properties towards the target of 10% of the total stock.
• Continued improvements to the allocation process through the Housing Information Centres, in particular providing better informed local input to the process, and providing limited ‘estate agent-style’ details for new occupants by the end of 2009.
• Better communication and consultation with SFA occupants about all the initiatives. The initial focus will be on the Standard 3 and 4 properties, with the aim of ensuring that by March 2013 very little, if any, of the occupied UK SFA estate should be below Standard 2. The outcome of the work from 2013 onwards will depend on the changing demand for SFA over the next 10 years, for example as more Service personnel buy their own homes, and the availability of funding. Subject to these constraints, the aspiration for 2020 is that all occupied houses will be at Standard 1, with the exception of a few overseas, which will be at Standard 2.
Single Living Accommodation (SLA). Progress with the major investment in SLA over the last 7 years is such that we now have some 35,000 bed-spaces for trained personnel at the highest modern standard (Z Scale) out of a requirement of 95,000. A further 20,000 are at Grade 2. The
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