Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many meetings (a) he has had and (b) officials in his Department have had with City of York Council on the disposal of Ministry of Defence sites in York as part of his Department's A Better Defence Estate programme.

Officials in the Department have met with City of York Council officers on seven occasions since April 2016 in relation to the inclusion of Queen Elizabeth Barracks, Towthorpe Lines and Imphal Barracks within the local plan. The Department is unaware of any such meetings between the Defence Secretary and the City of York Council.

Imphal Barracks will be disposed of in 2031 which we understand is within the local plan period of 2017-2032/33. The Council’s draft policy supports the site delivering 769 dwellings, recognising development is not anticipated to commence until the end of the plan period.