Team Blitz India
Over one thousand properties have been brought back into use for the Armed Forces and their families with a £400m investment in military accommodation, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defence, and Defence Infrastructure Organisation.
The programme of extensive refurbishments to long-term, so-called ‘void’ houses, was launched in September last year following a £400m additional investment by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) into military homes, it said.
Among the beneficiaries of the refurbishment programme was Corporal Tom Amponsah-Dadzie, who serves with the Royal Logistic Corps.
He has recently moved, along with his wife and children, into one of the newly available properties in Aldershot, Hampshire. He expressed how happy his wife is in their new home and how his friends in the Army thought it is a purchased house and not military accommodation.
In his words, “The house allows me to sleep well at night and gives me peace of mind during the day so I can carry out my job effectively.”
The houses were previously deemed uninhabitable, primarily due to their age and condition. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), working alongside contractors VIVO Defence Services and Amey, have carried out the works with funds prioritised for accommodation, allocated through last year’s Defence Command Paper Refresh.
Over a thousand properties across the UK, including 142 in Tidworth, Wiltshire; 134 in Aldershot, Hampshire; 48 in Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, and 41 in Catterick, Yorkshire, have all now undergone the extensive work needed to bring them back to the required standard. Works varied from new kitchens and bathrooms to boilers, carpets, and curtains, the ministry statement added.
