The sustainable regeneration of military sites is a challenging problem requiring the involvement of various stakeholders. Yet, in many parts of the world, it is a practice which excludes the public from the decision-making. This article is based on a survey of people residing or working nearby a military area in Ankara, where a number of megaprojects have been proposed by the government. It questions how the public would approach the regeneration of this site, what their preferences and concerns for reuse are and how their responses vary according to certain individual factors. The results show a mismatch between the interest of the ordinary public in the protection of green open spaces and the government's agenda to transform military sites into housing estates. Gender, level of education and landownership affect the way people view the regeneration of military landscapes and their preferences for reuse. These findings are important for the sustainable regeneration of military sites. •We examined the public’s preferences, interests and concerns related to the regeneration of a military site•There is a mismatch between the interests of the government and the public regarding the regeneration of military sites•The public tends to express more concern for environmental issues and their social needs than for their economic needs•Better educated people are more likely to expect to see places that are currently lacking in their neighborhood•Home/store owners are more willing than non-landowners to see the military site being transformed into a natural park