MoD: Fort Blockhouse disposal date reaffirmed after long delays as redevelopment could boost Gosport - when

Fort Blockhouse 1 is due to be disposed of in 2025, according to the MoD’s Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Portfolio. The government department said on its website that any site which is “no longer required for military use” will be dealt with.

“Disposing of these sites create exciting opportunities for alternative use, resulting in regeneration, business growth and job creation within the local area,” they added. Some units across the armed forces are moving to more purpose built facilities.

Fort Blockhouse, built in 1431, is thought to be the UK’s oldest fortification. Plans for it to be transformed into a “mixed-use development” have been mooted for years. The Better Defence Estates plan set out the release of the land in 2016, with the original deadline for the transformation of the site being in 2020. Yet, it has stood untouched for eight years.

Dame Caroline Dinenage, Gosport MP, has been campaigning for the site to be redeveloped, raising the issue most recently with the then-defence procurement minister, James Cartlidge, in March. She told The News: “The 2025 date for disposal is welcome but as ever, the devil will be in the detail.

“Redevelopment at the site has clearly proven challenging, but Fort Blockhouse remains an important component of an economic vision that I have had over many years as MP for the area, which involves utilising our prime heritage sites for creating jobs and attracting investment.”

The aim is for the site to be used to regenerate Gosport - bringing more jobs and homes to the area. Council leader Peter Chegywn previously said he would like to see “a mix of residential properties along with marine employment”, with development having to compatible with the historic buildings on site.

Ms Dinenage previously said the site was “rooting at the taxpayer’s expense”. The Conservative politician is hoping for faster progress on the regeneration scheme. “I do hope to see Fort Blockhouse turned into something useful, as the current situation doesn’t represent good value for money for my constituents,” she added.

“The MoD need to either use it or lose it. I will continue to lobby for the site’s redevelopment, holding the Government to account on the latest disposal date. The benefits of this site have always been clear, and are set out in the 2019 Gosport Infrastructure Investment Plan.”

Defence Estate Optimisation has completed, or in construction of, 18 projects to date. More than 1,450 hectares of surplus defence land at 26 sites has been released. The MoD said this has generated around £250m in net disposal receipts and secured a 28 per cent saving in running cost. A spokeswoman for the department said: “We continue to work with the local authorities and interested stakeholders over how Fort Blockhouse 1 can be sold for meaningful future use.”

Fort Blockhouse currently contains the 33 military field hospital, under the 2nd Medical Brigade. It also houses a branch of the National Coastwatch Institution, whose members act as lookouts over Portsmouth Harbour.