§ Baroness Park of Monmouthasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is true, as reported in The Sunday Telegraph of 8 March, that the 120 families of naval personnel serving in the Gulf, at present living in the Hardway Estate, Gosport, have been given notice to quit by September so that the whole site may be handed back to the private sector; what is the nature of the alternative accommodation which the Defence Housing Executive is reported to have offered them; whether this operation breaches an implied undertaking by the previous administration (H.L. Deb., cols. 469–473, 11 July 1996) that only empty properties would be disposed of in this way; and whether the fact that the estate occupies a prime site on the Solent contributed to the decision to dispose of it. [HL1064]
§ Lord GilbertThe Hardway estate comprises 200 properties, all of which have been declared surplus to Service requirements and are being released to Annington Homes in accordance with the release schedule of the sale. Eighty two homes are currently vacant and the families in the other 118 houses have been given notice to move, but not before September 1998.
All the families affected live on the Hardway estate in Gosport. Of the service personnel involved, 13 married men are currently serving in the Gulf. On current plans, they will all have returned to the UK before the moves are due to take place. Special arrangements are being put in place to deal with personnel serving in ships about to deploy.
Although the Defence Housing Executive, DHE, need give only 93 days' notice, this longer notice period, of a minimum of seven months, enables DHE to take due account of each family's circumstances, such as likely return dates of spouses, leave periods, and schooling requirements. There are nine other Service families accommodation locations in the area and families displaced by this move will be offered suitable accommodation, although four bedroomed properties are limited to the Old Rowner Estate.
As part of the continuing consultation process, a meeting took place between representatives of DHE, the Ministry of Defence, and 27 residents of Hardway Estate. A full record of all the issues raised was made, and this is being distributed to all 118 families affected by the closure, together with responses to the points raised. In addition, an allocations officer will be located on the estate once a week, to assist families who find it difficult to get to the area office, and a regular newsletter will be issued to keep residents up to date with developments.
This release does not breach any undertaking given by the previous administration. The requirement is that the properties must be surplus to Service requirements, but not necessarily empty, when selected for release. The site backs on to Fareham Creek, not the Solent. This fact has no bearing on its release.