Sir John Moore Barracks

About the Site

Existing Built Form The Site is currently used by the army for initial recruit training and therefore, it is securely fenced and access is restricted to the public. The Site contains various buildings and areas of hard-standing, which are located along the central spine and within its southern part. This agglomeration of buildings arranged around the internal roadways, squares and parking courts gives the Site an urban character enclosed by mature woodland.

The buildings typically have a simple functional design, ranging between 2-4 storeys in height and have no designated heritage value. The buildings have been designed for specific training or barrack uses which do not necessarily lend themselves to reuse or conversion other than the central leisure centre and chapel.

Landscape and Immediate Context Topography on Site is undulating, with several small valley features running across it creating a varied and interesting internal landscape. Four grass training fields form flatter open spaces adjacent to the buildings, whilst larger sloped training fields are located to the north.

Most of the outdoor facilities are used by the training regiment, however, some of the sports pitches, located adjacent to Harestock Road, is used by members of the public.

The Site contains Flowerdown, a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC), which comprises a north facing slope of calcareous grassland that has local level protection. Extensive areas of woodland around the Site edges, as well as larger mature parkland trees scattered through the central areas give a green context to the developed areas, as well as screening views into the site from surrounding streets and pathways.