AGENTS for the Ministry of Defence's property wing are meeting Kennet District Council planning officers next week to discuss the future of Le Marchant Barracks in Devizes.
The Ministry has been wanting to sell the Victorian barracks, built in 1878, since the county headquarters of the Territorial Army moved out in spring 1999.
But the Army pledged the barracks would not be sold until alternative premises had been found for the local Army Cadet Force and Air Training Corps, the last occupants of the building.
Work began last week on the new purpose-built cadet centre, due to open in six months' time, so the way is now clear for the MoD's London-based agents, Drivas Jones, to begin preparations to sell the site for housing.
A spokesman for the MoD said: "The barracks building has a lot of historical interest so it will be part of the development brief to retain the exterior fabric intact."
The barracks are earmarked in the replacement Kennet district plan for housing. Access is a key issue which will have to be resolved to the satisfaction of the highways authority.
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