Northumberland National Park military Inquiry to reopen

17 December 1998

The Council for National Parks has welcomed an announcement that the public inquiry into the Ministry of Defence's proposals for a major development in the Northumberland National Park will be reopened.

The Council for National Parks and others argued that the outcome of the Strategic Defence Review has potentially significant implications for Ministry of Defence plans to train with 45-tonne AS90 guns and the Multi Launch Rocket System at the Otterburn Training Area.

A six month Public Inquiry was held in Newcastle last year into the plans but the Strategic Defence Review could mean far more training than the MoD revealed then and far more noise and heavy traffic.

In August the Council for National Parks wrote to the Deputy Prime Minister to say that it would be unlawful to approve the proposed development without allowing public scrutiny of any additional impacts which have come about as a result of the Strategic Defence Review.  These impacts could include a doubling of the AS90 training which was originally proposed which could result in 60% more convoy movements on local roads and in at least one public area the MoD's own maximum noise limit could be breached an additional 184 times a year.

"We are delighted with this decision." said Vicki Elcoate, Director of the Council for National Parks "The only way to get to the bottom of the implications of the changes in British defence policy for the Northumberland National Park is to examine them in public at a properly constituted public inquiry."

The Public Inquiry is scheduled to reopen in March 1999.

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