Military closure plans outlined

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Plans to shut down 46 British military bases have been released by the Ministry of Defence.

The Defence Estate Development Plan sets out the disposal of sites previously earmarked as "surplus to defence requirements".

Defence Minister Bob Ainsworth said he wanted to see fewer but larger sites - on the scale of Catterick, Aldershot and Plymouth - in the UK and overseas.

But he told MPs that the future of many other bases was "not fully assured".

'Clear indication'

The programme sets out the UK armed forces' needs to 2030.

Sites which have already been highlighted for closure include St John's Wood Barracks in London, Rhine Garrison in Germany and RAF Uxbridge.

The plan outlines the MoD's intention to concentrate resources within bigger "defence communities" instead of smaller sites.

Mr Ainsworth added that this approach "will deliver an estate that supports flexible, balanced forces optimised for expeditionary operations, enabling the efficient and effective generation, deployment, sustainment and recovery of military capability."

The Chief Executive of Defence Estates, Vice Admiral Tim Laurence, said the plan would help give military families greater security.

He added: "It gives a clear indication of our intent to manage the estate in a structured and co-ordinated way.

"We aim to use the resources available to achieve the very best that we can for those who live and work within it."