diff --git a/roles/download/defaults/main.yml b/roles/download/defaults/main.yml
index 238da93be..5ba5104fd 100644
--- a/roles/download/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/roles/download/defaults/main.yml
@@ -1,15 +1,42 @@
 ---
-etcd_version: v2.2.2
+local_release_dir: /tmp
+
 flannel_version: 0.5.5
-
-kube_version: v1.1.3
-kubectl_checksum: "01b9bea18061a27b1cf30e34fd8ab45cfc096c9a9d57d0ed21072abb40dd3d1d"
-kubelet_checksum: "62191c66f2d670dd52ddf1d88ef81048977abf1ffaa95ee6333299447eb6a482"
-kube_download_url: "https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/{{ kube_version }}/bin/linux/amd64"
-
 calico_version: v0.13.0
 calico_plugin_version: v0.7.0
+kube_version: v1.1.3
+
+kubectl_checksum: "01b9bea18061a27b1cf30e34fd8ab45cfc096c9a9d57d0ed21072abb40dd3d1d"
+kubelet_checksum: "62191c66f2d670dd52ddf1d88ef81048977abf1ffaa95ee6333299447eb6a482"
+
+kube_download_url: "https://storage.googleapis.com/kubernetes-release/release/{{ kube_version }}/bin/linux/amd64"
+
+flannel_download_url: "https://github.com/coreos/flannel/releases/download/v{{ flannel_version }}/flannel-{{ flannel_version }}-linux-amd64.tar.gz"
+
+calico_download_url: "https://github.com/Metaswitch/calico-docker/releases/download/{{calico_version}}/calicoctl"
 
-flannel_download_url: "https://github.com/coreos/flannel/releases/download"
-calico_download_url: "https://github.com/Metaswitch/calico-docker/releases/download"
 calico_plugin_download_url: "https://github.com/projectcalico/calico-kubernetes/releases/download/{{calico_plugin_version}}/calico_kubernetes"
+
+downloads:
+  - name: calico
+    dest: calico/bin/calicoctl
+    url: "{{calico_download_url}}"
+
+  - name: calico-plugin
+    dest: calico/bin/calico
+    url: "{{calico_plugin_download_url}}"
+
+  - name: flannel
+    dest: flannel/flannel-{{ flannel_version }}-linux-amd64.tar.gz
+    url: "{{flannel_download_url}}"
+    unarchive: yes
+
+  - name: kubernetes-kubelet
+    dest: kubernetes/bin/kubelet
+    sha256: "{{kubelet_checksum}}"
+    url: "{{ kube_download_url }}/kubelet"
+
+  - name: kubernetes-kubectl
+    dest: kubernetes/bin/kubectl
+    sha256: "{{kubectl_checksum}}"
+    url: "{{ kube_download_url }}/kubectl"
diff --git a/roles/download/tasks/main.yml b/roles/download/tasks/main.yml
index c8749a03e..0d881acfc 100644
--- a/roles/download/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/roles/download/tasks/main.yml
@@ -1,76 +1,19 @@
 ---
-- name: Create calico release directory
-  local_action: file
-     path={{ local_release_dir }}/calico/bin
-     recurse=yes
-     state=directory
+- name: Create dest directories
+  file: path={{local_release_dir}}/{{item.dest|dirname}} state=directory recurse=yes
+  with_items: downloads
 
-- name: Check if calicoctl has been downloaded
-  local_action: stat
-     path={{ local_release_dir }}/calico/bin/calicoctl
-  register: c_tar
+- name: Download items
+  get_url:
+    url: "{{item.url}}"
+    dest: "{{local_release_dir}}/{{item.dest}}"
+    sha256sum: "{{item.sha256 | default(omit)}}"
+  with_items: downloads
 
-# issues with get_url module and redirects, to be tested again in the near future
-- name: Download calico
-  local_action: shell
-    curl -o {{ local_release_dir }}/calico/bin/calicoctl -Ls {{ calico_download_url }}/{{ calico_version }}/calicoctl
-  when: not c_tar.stat.exists
-  register: dl_calico
-
-
-- name: Download calico-kubernetes-plugin
-  local_action: get_url
-    url="{{calico_plugin_download_url}}"
-    dest="{{ local_release_dir }}/calico/bin/calico"
-
-- name: Create flannel release directory
-  local_action: file
-     path={{ local_release_dir }}/flannel
-     recurse=yes
-     state=directory
-
-- name: Check if flannel release archive has been downloaded
-  local_action: stat
-     path={{ local_release_dir }}/flannel/flannel-{{ flannel_version }}-linux-amd64.tar.gz
-  register: f_tar
-
-# issues with get_url module and redirects, to be tested again in the near future
-- name: Download flannel
-  local_action: shell
-    curl -o {{ local_release_dir }}/flannel/flannel-{{ flannel_version }}-linux-amd64.tar.gz -Ls {{ flannel_download_url }}/v{{ flannel_version }}/flannel-{{ flannel_version }}-linux-amd64.tar.gz
-  when: not f_tar.stat.exists
-  register: dl_flannel
-
-- name: Extract flannel archive
-  local_action: unarchive
-     src={{ local_release_dir }}/flannel/flannel-{{ flannel_version }}-linux-amd64.tar.gz
-     dest={{ local_release_dir }}/flannel copy=no
-  when: dl_flannel|changed
-
-- name: Pick up only flannel binaries
-  local_action: copy
-     src={{ local_release_dir }}/flannel/flannel-{{ flannel_version }}/flanneld
-     dest={{ local_release_dir }}/flannel/bin
-  when: dl_flannel|changed
-
-- name: Delete unused flannel files
-  local_action: file
-     path={{ local_release_dir }}/flannel/flannel-{{ flannel_version }} state=absent
-  when: dl_flannel|changed
-
-- name: Create kubernetes binary directory
-  local_action: file
-     path="{{ local_release_dir }}/kubernetes/bin"
-     state=directory
-     recurse=yes
-
-- name: Download kubelet and kubectl
-  local_action: get_url
-    url="{{ kube_download_url }}/{{ item.name }}"
-    dest="{{ local_release_dir }}/kubernetes/bin"
-    sha256sum="{{ item.checksum }}"
-  with_items:
-    - name: kubelet
-      checksum: "{{ kubelet_checksum }}"
-    - name: kubectl
-      checksum: "{{ kubectl_checksum }}"
+- name: Extract archives
+  unarchive:
+     src: "{{ local_release_dir }}/{{item.dest}}"
+     dest: "{{ local_release_dir }}/{{item.dest|dirname}}"
+     copy: no
+  when: "{{item.unarchive is defined and item.unarchive == True}}"
+  with_items: downloads