NIO Minister visits camp to assess future of facility

NIO Minister visits camp to assess future of facility

7 January 2015

A SENIOR government minister has visited the Ballykinlar army base which is being suggested as an all-island training centre for the emergency services.

Northern Ireland Office Minister Dr. Andrew Murrison visited the base recently after the Ministry of Defence (MOD) confirmed it has a long term requirement for the sprawling facility.

The army pulled out of Ballykinlar last year and while the base is still owned by the MOD it is now run as a training facility by a private company. The MOD had been considering selling off the old Abercorn Barracks, which has accommodation for several hundred soldiers and their families, while retaining the remainder of the base for training purposes.

However, after Dr. Murrison’s visit the MOD has confirmed it is looking again at future uses for Abercorn Barracks.

South Down MP Margaret Ritchie is lobbying for the army base — which no longer has soldiers permanently based there — to be the location for an all-island emergency training centre. She believes such a development has the potential to provide the east Down area with a “significant economic opportunity.

The MP is continuing to raise the issue with the MOD in London and has confirmed this week that discussions are continuing about whether the former Abercorn barracks could be used for an emergency training college.

“I have been told the MOD has still has a long term requirement for the wider Ballykinlar training centre and work on finalising the future requirement of the estate in Northern Ireland is still ongoing,” revealed Miss Ritchie.

“The MOD is waiting on the Northern Ireland Office to reaffirm its position on the need for Abercorn Barracks by the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland.”

Miss Ritchie said she has been informed that the MOD has a “continuing need” for the Ballykinlar site in respect of the training estate element as some of its facilities cannot be provided elsewhere in Northern Ireland.

The MP continued: “Dr. Murrison visited the Ballykinlar site last November and the MOD’s Defence Infrastructure Organisation has requested that the Minister engage with the Department of Justice in Northern Ireland to discuss whether the Abercorn site could be used for an emergency training college.

“Quite clearly, there is a need for an all island emergency training centre and the Ballykinlar base, with its existing infrastructure and good geographical position, would be best suited for such purposes.”

Miss Ritchie believes if a new training centre was located in Ballykinlar, it would assist with sustaining existing jobs and the creation of new jobs and opportunities for the local community in South Down.

She confirmed she plans to continue pursuing the issue with Stormont Justice Minister David Ford and with the Ministry of Defence in London “to ensure there is a fruitful outcome.”

Miss Ritchie said much of the training infrastructure is already in place at Ballykinlar where the UK and Irish Coastguard teams train and co-operate on many cross-border rescue and safety missions on both land and sea, to save lives.

She said given the base is already used for cross-border Coastguard training services, there are possibilities for it to also be used more extensively by the PSNI, Fire and Rescue Service and Ambulance Service.