DEMOLITION work has began at a military site in Ludgershall to make way for service family housing as part of the Army Basing Programme.

Contractors have begun pulling down buildings at the Corunna Barracks site which is earmarked for 246 Army family homes as thousands of troops are to be re-based to the area from Germany.

As part of the preparation works, specialist contractors working on behalf of Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) will be pulling down 62 buildings, removing car parks and moving temporary accommodation units to other MOD sites.

DIO project manager Andy Corcoran said: “Preparing the site for development is a big task. Some of the hangars are about the same size as the Twickenham rugby pitch at more than 800m2.

“The housing development planned for this site is one example of how we’re supporting service personnel and their families through the provision of a fit-for-purpose estate, including accommodation.”

A planning application for the 246 properties has been submitted to Wiltshire Council and in the meantime demolition works are due to be completed by early next year so that construction work can begin when when plans have been approved.

The plans, which are part of a project to re-base 4,300 troops and their families, are set to include a primary school, land for community uses and open space.

The Army Basing Programme will provide the facilities the army needs to live, work and train in the UK as it re-bases across the UK by 2020.

Because of its close proximity to the Salisbury Plain training area, Corunna Barracks has had an important military past.

The site was used by the US Army during the Second World War to test and prepare vehicles for the D DAY landings.

It was later home to 26 Engineer Regiment and more recently used as accommodation for visiting units and storing supplies including military vehicles, ranging from Land Rovers to large heavy armoured vehicles.