Salisbury Plain military homes plan approved

Nearly a third of the British Army will be based in and around Salisbury Plain by 2020

Plans for more than 900 new army family homes in the Salisbury Plain area have been approved by the local authority.

The houses are part of wider plans to accommodate 4,000 extra troops and their families who will be based in the county by 2020.

Wiltshire Council agreed to a total of 917 new homes - 246 at Ludgershall, 444 at Larkhill and 227 at Bulford.

The proposal was given the go-ahead following an extensive public consultation which began in 2014.

The amount of homes proposed was reduced from 1,300 after some residents expressed concerns about schooling and how local roads would cope.

Salisbury Plain is one of a number areas in the UK to see troops arrive from Germany under the Army Basing Programme.

By 2020, more than 17,000 troops will be based in Wiltshire. The army's plans will see an extra 4,000 personnel move into the area, as well as about 3,300 dependents.

A Defence Infrastructure Organisation spokesman said: "This marks an important milestone in our plans to provide the facilities our soldiers and their families need to relocate to Salisbury Plain.

"These developments will provide high-quality, modern homes for service families and will be a fantastic place to live."

Wiltshire Council said its approval is subject to planning conditions and satisfactory Section 106 agreements on transport, education, leisure facilities and healthcare.