The Ministry of Defence (MoD) employed chartered surveyors to plan a housing development at Maidstone barracks months before its closure was announced – despite insisting the decision was based purely on military advice.

Representatives from the government department’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation told Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) at a meeting in September that plans presented by the authority for a 1,300-home estate were similar to ones consultancy Carter Jonas had produced for them.

Two months later, Defence Secretary and Sevenoaks MP Michael Fallon formally announced Invicta Park Barracks, off Royal Engineers’ Road, would shut in 2027.

It is not clear when Carter Jonas was first approached and the MoD refused to comment on its dealings with the company, but the revelations, which came to light after a Kent Messenger Freedom of Information Act investigation, cast doubt on assurances the site’s closure was for military reasons.

Maidstone and the Weald MP Helen Grant, who has been vocal in her opposition, believes the decision was driven by money and housing.

She also commented on the “serious lack of consultation” about the closure, which is
only fuelled by the extensive correspondence between the MoD and MBC in the months before the announcement.

"There is great affection for the town's vibrant Nepalese community and local people are wanting to show their support for them" - Helen Grant MP

The Better Defence Estate Strategy, which will see 91 bases axed, will be debated in parliament this month.

The email chain also confirms the MoD will work with MBC to close the barracks as soon as possible to open the doors for development, with 2027 being only an estimate.

The MoD first supported proposals for a housing-led development in March but, despite MBC repeatedly asking for assurances the barracks would be released, only confirmed the closure in November.

At a planning hearing last month, government inspector Robert Mellor cast doubt on the council’s projections for Invicta Park – which was first included in the draft Local Plan in 2012 – saying it was “improbable” it could hold 1,300 homes and a more realistic target would be 500.

Annington Homes, which owns almost 60,000 MoD properties, has shown interest in developing the site, although the MoD would not say how much it was worth for commercial reasons.

Invicta Park is home to the 36 Engineer Regiment of the Royal Engineers and the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers and its closure will bring to an end 229 years of Maidstone’s military history.

So far there are no plans for where the 800 service personnel and their families will be relocated.

Helen Grant has set a petition calling on the Ministry of Defence to reconsider its decision – currently there are 500 signatures.

She said: “There is great affection for the town’s vibrant Nepalese community and local people are wanting to show their support for them. I feel duty-bound to launch this petition.”

Lt Col J B Awford (ret), former Commanding Officer of Invicta Park Barracks, said: “I believe the decision to close Invicta Park Barracks is unsound. It will be a negative step for the army, for Maidstone and, no doubt, for the established Nepalese community.”

You can sign the petition online here, at Mrs Grant’s constituency office at Maidstone East railway station, or at the Kent Messenger office.