Caroline has emphasised the potential of Fort Blockhouse to make a significant economic contribution to Gosport in the House of Commons Chamber on many occasions.
In 2016, the Government's A Better Defence Estate document marked Fort Blockhouse for disposal in 2020. The strategy aimed to reduce the size of the defence estate in order to better support the Armed Forces' future needs by selling the 91 most expensive sites.
Caroline has been clear that any redevelopment of the site must support economic regeneration in the Gosport area, which has one of the lowest job densities in the South East.
In 2020 the Ministry of Defence pushed the disposal date for Fort Blockhouse back to 2024, and once again to 2025. No offers have been considered for the site so far.
In March 2024 she raised Fort Blockhouse with Defence Minister James Cartlidge in the House of Commons, who stressed that despite engagement with Gosport Borough Council the site was proving complex.
Recently, she vented her frustration with the slow progress at the site, saying in April that “The site has huge economic and regeneration potential for our community and the [Defence Infrastructure Organisation] DIO must move forward swiftly on their plans to deliver it.”
In May Caroline demonstrated the economic potential of the site with a visit from Warner Bros to see Britain's oldest fortification.
However, responding to reports that asylum seekers could be housed in sites like Fort Blockhouse, Caroline has said that "Gosport deserves so much better" and has asked to meet with Defence Minister Luke Pollard in the coming months to discuss the future of the site.
