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13
Nov
Harrogate MP raises security concerns over 285-home plan near Harrogate's Army Foundation College
Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon has raised security concerns over plans to build 285 new homes near the Army Foundation College.
Redrow Homes Yorkshire has lodged the plan to North Yorkshire Council for land west of Oaker Bank and south of Pennypot Lane.
In the House of Commons, Mr Gordon told Labour’s minister for defence readiness and industry, Luke Pollard, that the college was an isolated site.
The Liberal Democrat MP said:
Given the minister has outlined the concerns around protection of sites and the threats that are posed to them, what steps are the Ministry of Defence having with other departments and North Yorkshire Council about the security and protection of places like the Army Foundation College?
Mr Pollard offered to set up a meeting between Mr Gordon and the minister for veterans and people to discuss Harrogate.
He added:
But we should be aware that right next to our bases right around the country there are communities that care passionately about the security of those bases and actively contribute to the security of our bases.
Following the exchange, Mr Gordon said:
The Army Foundation College is a relatively isolated site at the moment, and that matters for its security. Any plan to build hundreds of homes right next to it needs to be thought through very carefully. These latest plans come on top of an additional 1,000 homes proposed for nearby. There are sites that are far more suitable than this one, which would limit the expansion of the AFC and pose security concerns.
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