Army to sell off barracks at Ballykinlar complex

Army to sell off barracks at Ballykinlar complex

9 November 2016

ARMY plans to sell Abercorn Barracks in Ballykinlar must be turned into a social housing opportunity, politicians have urged.

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed its intention to dispose of the barracks, which was vacated by its resident battalion two years ago.

The barracks is just part of the enormous Ballykinlar Training Centre which is still used by the army, police and Fire and Rescue Service for training purposes. The remainder of the training complex will be unaffected by the sale.

The sale of the site, which includes around 200 houses, is expected to take place within 18 months as part of a major review of the defence estate.

It will impact 54 civilian staff still employed to maintain security at the Ballykinlar site.

Responding to the news, two MPs have led calls for the 200 houses within the grounds of the barracks to be retained for social housing.

South Down MP Margaret Ritchie and Strangford MP Jim Shannon have both rejected a suggestion made by the Ministry of Defence last month that the disused properties be razed to the ground before the site’s disposal.

Miss Ritchie said the permanent vacation of the site should be considered an opportunity for the economic regeneration of Ballykinlar, beginning with the conversion of the existing homes to social and affordable housing.

She said there could also be further opportunity to develop the barracks into an all Ireland emergency training centre.

“There are 199 houses on the site that could be converted into much needed affordable housing, and I am aware of developers in my constituency who would be eager to work with the Ministry of Defence to deliver these houses as new residential properties,” she said.

“I know there had been some talk of demolition but this is good quality housing.

“While the barracks has been closed for some time, the site has been successfully used as a training site for emergency services and I see real opportunity to expand on this.

“I believe the Abercorn Barracks site could be used as a catalyst for the surrounding area’s economic regeneration. There are great opportunities here for Ballykinlar, and I will do everything I can to secure them.”

Strangford MP Jim Shannon described the move to dispose of the site as “backwards” and “illogical” and also rejected the MoD’s previous suggestion of knocking down the 200 houses.

“It would be a rather backwards step because I think they should be retaining the accommodation for use as social housing,” he said.

South Down Assemblyman Chris Hazzard, meanwhile, said he hoped the Ministry of Defence will learn from the “disastrous experience of Ballyhornan” at Ballykinlar.

When the RAF pulled out of its Bishopscourt base, near Ballyhornan, in the 1980s it left behind a complex with no mains sewage and poor services which blighted the area for many years.

Welcoming news that the site will be closed, he too agreed the land should be handed over for development by the local community. 

“We would like to see the homes on the site redeveloped and used to tackle social housing lists and providing homes for first time buyers,” he said.

“However, there is also an onus on the British Ministry of Defence to ensure there is no repeat of the debacle when they sold off parts of Ballyhornan.

“They left a hugely damaging legacy and we must ensure that local people are not footing a bill for millions of pounds for decontamination of the site.”  

Ballynahinch councillor Garth Craig said that although he would have preferred to see the site marked for an area of military expertise, he said if this is not going to happen, he would also like to see the public benefit from the facilities the site has to offer. 

“In many ways Ballykinlar has been a forgotten community despite its beautiful location,” he said.

“I would like to see mixed development on the site including housing, community facilities and small business development. 

“A lot of the required infrastructure already exists on site. There is still a need for affordable social housing in the district and it would be such a shame to simply tumble good housing already on the site. 

“I will request the council to work with other agencies including the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, Housing Associations and the community to see how best the site could be developed.”