§ Mr. Ian BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if a study has concluded that there is space at Bovington to locate the Third Armoured reconnaissance regiment; and what is the current area occupied by(a) Stanley barracks and (b) the area owned by his Department that abuts the barracks. [24467]
§ Mr. SoamesStudies show that the Stanley barracks site at Bovington does not have the capacity to accommodate all the regiment, and that it would therefore be necessary to split the regiment between two sites, Stanley barracks and the gunnery school, Lulworth, which would have to accommodate garaging, workshops, and stores as well as living accommodation for one squadron.
The current area taken up by Stanley barracks, mess accommodation, married quarters and other buildings is 329 acres. Adjacent training land, which is very heavily utilised, occupies 2,150 acres.