7,000 immigrants coming to Wiltshire

The 'Wiltshire Assembly' meeting held on November 9th 2017 heard how the county was planning to deal with them. Schools and houses will be built to cope with the inrush, and the positive effect on local employment was also considered.

The mass migration is part of the government's Army Basing Programme, with an additional 4,000 service personnel and their families due to move to Wiltshire by the end of the decade. The MOD is investing around £1bn into the programme. 5 RIFLES moved to Salisbury Plain in summer 2016 and further relocations from Germany and from other parts of the United Kingdom will take place in the summer of 2019. These moves will increase the population of Wiltshire by approximately 7,000.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation is providing service family accommodation of some 900 new dwellings at Bulford, Ludgershall and Larkhill in addition to purchasing 100 homes at Tidworth.
There are also plans for a number of new buildings and extensions to existing facilities in establishments at Perham Down, Larkhill, Bulford, Tidworth and Upavon to provide additional training, living, mess and technical capacity.