§ Mr. Macleanasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy over acquisition of land in the Warcop area of Cumbria for dry training purposes.
§ Mr. LeePolicy on the use of the defence estate was set out in paragraphs 620 to 622 of the 1985 Statement on Defence Estimates (Cmnd. 9430–1).
Paragraph 621 noted that current land holding cannot meet all training requirements and that it is the Ministry's intention to acquire additional land whenever possible, usually by extending existing training areas. This policy naturally applies to Warcop, which is one of the six principal training areas in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Macleanasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any need of more land in the Warcop area of Cumbria for live firing.
258W
§ Mr. LeeWe have no plans to acquire land outside the boundaries of the existing training area for live firing.
§ Mr. Macleanasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the name of the firm of local agents acting on behalf of his Department to acquire land for training purposes in the area of Cumbria.
§ Mr. LeeThe Property Services Agency of the DOE acts as agents for all our land acquisitions in the United Kingdom. No firm of local agents has been appointed to acquire land in Cumbria.
§ Mr. Macleanasked the Secretary of State for Defence with regard to his proposals to acquire land at Stainmore in Cumbria for training purposes, what stage his negotiations with local landowners have reached; and whether he is negotiating for lease or freehold.
§ Mr. LeeThere have been negotiations with local landowners at Stainmore for purchase of one area of land and lease of another, but no binding commitment can be entered into in advance of hearing the views of the local planning authority on the proposal to use the land for training.
§ Mr. Macleanasked the Secretary of State for Defence what studies he has carried out into the suitability of the three plots of land at Stainmore in Cumbria which he proposes to acquire for training purposes.
§ Mr. LeeThe land has been inspected by the appropriate military authorities, who have confirmed that it would be suitable for training not involving live firing.
§ Mr. Macleanasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish the brief he has given to land agents in Cumbria who have been instructed to acquire land for dry training purposes.
§ Mr. LeeNo land agents other than those of the Property Services Agency have been instructed to acquire land for dry training purposes. The PSA was informed of the military requirement and asked to consult the military authorities if land which appears to be suitable becomes available.
§ Mr. Macleanasked the Secretary of State for Defence what factors have led his Department to seek to use land in Cumbria previously considered for inclusion in an area of outstanding natural beauty for purposes of military training.
§ Mr. LeeThe reason for seeking to acquire extra land in the vicinity of Warcop is that the existing Warcop training area does not have the capacity to meet all current training requirements. The acquisition of an additional area of land such as the one at Stainmore for dry training —that is without live firing—and the carrying out of drills before using the ranges at Warcop would reduce the pressure on the existing training area.