Major military development for National Park: decision condemned

4 October 2001

The Council for National Parks ⁽¹⁾ (CNP) today has condemned the Secretary of State's conditional approval for a major military development ⁽²⁾ that will irreparably scar the Northumberland National Park and blight people’s enjoyment of it.

"At a time when the Government is looking again at defence resources, because of the attacks in the USA, it is ironic, to say the least, that this legacy of the cold war should be given approval", said Sir Chris Bonington, CNP Life Vice-President. "The Government says it is reviewing the concepts behind defence and the armed forces' capabilities - these proposals are a blast from the past and a hard blow for National Parks to take".

When the plans for the development were announced in 1994 the Countryside Commission, then the Government’s statutory adviser on the countryside said: "The proposals will result in a considerable deterioration in the character, quality and public enjoyment of this part of the National Park….the scale of new development will be unprecedented in this, or indeed any other National Park". ⁽³⁾

Sir Chris said "there are real and workable alternatives ⁽⁴⁾ available for the Army to meet its training needs and therefore it is senseless to damage the wildlife and landscape value of the Otterburn Training Area and people’s enjoyment of the area."

The Council for National Parks was part of a consortium of voluntary organisations ⁽⁵⁾ which fought to protect the National Park, the interests of its visitors and its local communities through two sittings of a public inquiry that lasted for a total of 9 months in 1997 and 1999.

"The Ministry of Defence wants to build new roads and other infrastructure, and widen existing tracks into roads to train with the 45 tonne AS90 gun and the Multi Launch Rocket System. This development will not only cause lasting damage to the National Park but will also open the floodgates to other kinds of damaging activity in the next 10 years. The MoD did not subject the infrastructure proposals to proper environmental assessment and so never properly investigated alternatives to developing Otterburn to accommodate heavy artillery training" said Sir Chris.

He continued: "CNP and its partner organisations will be looking closely at the decision to see if there is anything further we can do before the bulldozers move in."

Notes to editors

1  The Council for National Parks is the national charity that works to protect and enhance the National Parks of England and Wales and areas that merit National Park status, and promote understanding and quiet enjoyment of them for the benefit of all.
2  The MoD’s proposals are to build major infrastructure in the Otterburn Training Area in the Northumberland National Park to enable training with the tracked 45-tonne AS90 gun and the Multi Launch Rocket System. This includes 16km of new roads and other development that will directly destroy 25 hectares of upland habitat, disturb rare birds and other wildlife and bring rocket noise and pollution to a remote and peaceful area. The Secretary of State has approved this subject to conditions being agreed within six weeks.
3  In response to the ‘Options for Change’ development proposals the Countryside Commission (now Countryside Agency) published its advice to the Ministry of Defence Military Training in the Northumberland National Park. (1994 CCP 471)
4  In National Parks a major development would not normally be given permission if there were reasonable alternatives even if the development was in the national interest (paragraph 4.5 Planning Policy Guidance note 7). CNP and other objectors maintain that alternatives to developing the Otterburn Training Area were not properly examined at the Public Inquiry and that genuine alternatives, such as at Salisbury Plain or Kirkcudbright exist.
5  The National Park Consortium is a coalition of organisations which oppose the MoD’s proposed development of the Otterburn Training Area. They are the Council for National Parks, CPRE (Northumberland Branch), CPRE (National office), Ramblers’ Association (Northern Area), Ramblers’ Association (National Office), WWF–UK , Natural History Society of Northumbria, Youth Hostel Association, Northumberland and Newcastle Society, Northumberland Archaeological Group, Association of Countryside Voluntary Wardens and the Open Spaces Society.

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