Council divided over future of army base

Council divided over future of army base

29 January 2014

POLITICIANS are split on the future of the Ballykinlar army base.

The issue was discussed at Monday night’s meeting of Down Council with Republicans calling for the base to be closed and the land and its facilities handed back to the community.

DUP, UUP and SDLP politicians expressed concern about the expected loss of civilian jobs at the base when the 2 Rifles battalion moves to Lisburn and the impact this will have on local businesses and the district’s economy. Republicans argued the base has the potential to create hundreds of new jobs in the future once it’s out of army ownership.

A DUP motion calling on Secretary of State Theresa Villiers to urge the Ministry of Defence to change its decision to withdraw the 2 Rifles battalion from Ballykinlar and move it to Thiepval Barracks in Lisburn was defeated.

An SDLP amendment calling on Miss Villiers to ensure there is no loss of jobs at Ballykinlar which the MoD plans to retain as a training base was also defeated. Nationalists also called for the future potential of the Ballykinlar base and its various community facilities to be recognised.

At the conclusion of the debate, it was agreed Down Council would revisit a report it compiled a number of years ago on drawing up a masterplan for the Ballykinlar area which aimed to have the army base and its various sport and leisure facilities handed over to the local authority once the base was vacated. The report is to be discussed at a future council meeting.

On Monday night, the DUP’s Garth Craig described the MoD’s decision to move 2 Rifles from Ballykinlar to Lisburn as a “great disappointment” with the decision coming as Down Council continues doing all it can to create new employment opportunities across the district.

“Now we are faced with the loss of around 30 civilian jobs, with the transfer of the battalion impacting on local businesses and suppliers. The move to Lisburn will also result in the loss of around 100 children from local schools representing both sides of the community,” he continued.

“This army base has been part and parcel of the Ballykinlar community for many years and for the most part community relations have been excellent. If 2 Rifles does move, people will be left without jobs and local businesses will also suffer. Does Down Council want to support this?”

Councillor Liam Johnston (Sinn Fein) called for the army base to “handed back” for the use of the local community. He said there is potential for a hotel at the base with army homes used to help address the district’s social housing deficit. Councillor Johnston said the national Trust could be asked to take responsibility for the sand dunes at the base.

“There are good sport and leisure facilities at the camp and while there is concern about the loss of a few jobs, I believe the potential exists to create hundreds more. I hope the army will close Ballykinlar,” he added.

Councillor Dermot Curran (SDLP) highlighted the need to ascertain the MoD’s future plans for Ballykinlar. He said what happened at the former air base at Bishopscourt when the MoD “walked away” illustrates the need to find out what’s in store for Ballykinlar to prevent the potential for similar situation.

“There are many questions which have to be answered. Ballykinlar offers massive potential for the future but we can’t do anything until we have all the information we need,” he added.

Councillor Walter Lyons (UUP) said it’s his understanding that the army plans to retain Ballykinlar as a training base, suggesting that in the face of massive defence cuts, the local facility could continue to play a vital role in the future.