Study looks at change of use for Army site

Abstract

Army commanders held talks with politicians and traders' leaders in April, after the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Right Reverend John Packer, warned that the Ministry of Defence's decision to move the regiment to Catterick Garrison would cause substantial economic and social damage to the city.

A [pounds]50,000 project has been launched to examine how to redevelop an Army barracks site which will close by 2017.

Harrogate Borough Council and the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Enterprise Partnership will employ a planning support officer to study the potential uses for the 45-hectare Claro Barracks site, in Ripon.

A call centre, training college, commercial estate and a base for a pharmaceuticals firm are among the initial ideas for the site.

Army commanders held talks with politicians and traders' leaders in April, after the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Right Reverend John Packer, warned that the Ministry of Defence's decision to move the regiment to Catterick Garrison would cause substantial economic and social damage to the city.

Ripon and Skipton MP Julian Smith said he would help lead the Future of Claro Action Group to move discussions forward about offsetting the closure of the barracks.

Following a meeting at Whitehall last week, Ripon councillor Alan Skidmore said he had been assured the city's married quarters housing would not be affected by the closure of the barracks, which houses more than 600 soldiers from 21 Engineer Regiment.

The announcement came as a relief to the city's leaders as it was feared soldiers' families would also be forced to move out of Ripon to accommodate troops returning to the UK from Germany in a [pounds]240m-ayear cost-cutting drive.

Ripon county councillor Bernard Bateman said some business leaders were optimistic about being able to attract a pharmaceuticals business to the Claro site, on the back of the Healthy Ripon project to secure the future of Ripon Community Hospital.

Councillor Bateman said a pharmaceuticals firm's base could be linked to a proposal to develop an area of North Yorkshire County Councilowned land between Clotherholme Road and Kirby Road, which has been committed for sheltered housing.

He said: "There is no real employment land spare in Ripon and the large space that will become available at the Claro site can provide an area for employment. All ideas put forward will create employment and it is just a case of marketing the land."