§ Lord Kennetasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the grounds on which a planning application for a radar installation near to Fylingdales is required, given that they claim that only "modernisation" is taking place and that there is no question of a new installation being built.
§ The Minister of State for Defence Procurement (Lord Trefgarne)Under the provisions of Department of the Environment's Circular 18/84, government departments notify local planning authorities of all development proposals which are likely to be of special concern to them. RAF Fylingdales is within the North York Moors National Park and the modernisation of the ballistic missile early warning system will,inter alia, change the station's appearance. The normal planning consultation procedure was followed so that full account could be taken of the views of the national park committee and other interested parties on ways to minimise the environmental impact.