A £21 MILLION contract has been signed for school and community facilities across the Salisbury Plain as part of plans to build 900 army homes.

Planning permission for the homes in Ludgershall, Bulford and Larkhill was given in April.

Now the Section 106 agreement has been signed providing funding for schools, community, recreation, waste collection and sports facilities as well as a medical facility, road improvements and cycle paths across Salisbury Plain communities.

The Army Basing Programme will bring 4,000 service personnel along with 3,200 family members to Wiltshire by 2019 as Salisbury Plain becomes the largest military training area in the UK.

Building will start next summer in readiness for the main arrival of service personnel by 2019.

As part of the programme, 5 Rifles is moving to Wiltshire this summer and provision of homes and additional school places have already been made available with extensions at Bulford Kiwi School and St Leonard’s Primary.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Council said the council, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and its estate management organisation – the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) – had been working closely alongside partner agencies to ensure the right infrastructure and facilities were in place for the arrival of Army personnel and their families.

Wiltshire Council leader Jane Scott said: “The Army Basing Programme will bring major investment to Wiltshire and this agreement will ensure that the necessary facilities are in place which will also benefit the local communities.

“These measures will be the building blocks to ensure both civilian and military communities can share facilities and continue our long proud history of military association in the county.”

Total MoD funded school provision as part of the programme includes:

90 early years places at St Michael’s, Larkhill

30 at a new primary school at Ludgershall

750 primary schools places:

390 at St Michael’s Larkhill

150 at Bulford Kiwi

210 at Ludgershall

375 secondary school places:

270 at Avon Valley College

105 at Wellington Academy in Tidworth