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14
Apr 2021
Upset and anger at plans to remove MP's memorial tree at Menwith Hill
Former Labour MP Ann Cryer has said she is "very upset" at plans to remove a memorial tree dedicated to her late husband at an entrance of RAF Menwith Hill in Nidderdale.
Bob Cryer, who was the Labour MP for Bradford South, died in a car accident in 1994.
He campaigned for transparency at Menwith Hill and secured a debate in parliament a few months before he died when he claimed the aim of the base was to "assert and retain United States supremacy".
The Ministry of Defence, which owns the site, has submitted plans to Harrogate Borough Council to add a new visitor centre, vehicle canopy and changes to the road junction on Menwith Hill Road.
However, this would involve removing the alder tree planted and dedicated to Mr Cryer in 1994. The tree is planted alongside the public highway and is not owned by the MOD.
Ms Cryer, who was MP for Keighley from 1997 until 2010, told the Stray Ferret the plans to remove the tree were "very worrying".
She said:
Originally positioned to the east of the entrance, the tree was dug up when new slip roads were incorporated. It was replanted and rededicated by Ms Cryer in October 2002.
'A mockery of defence'
Built in the 1950s on the edge of Nidderdale, Menwith Hill is the United States’ largest overseas surveillance base. Giant radomes, or 'golf balls', are a distinctive feature of the site.
There have been several applications in recent years to expand the base and add more golf balls. Each time, the MOD says expansion is needed for security and defence reasons, which Ms Cryer questioned.
She said:
Read more:
- Menwith Hill to expand with new ‘golf ball’
- Campaigners to protest against Menwith Hill on Independence Day
Sarah Swift, from the Menwith Hill Accountability Campaign group, has objected to Harrogate Borough Council about the plans to remove the tree.
As part of the planning application, the MOD commissioned a tree survey that did not recognise the significance of the memorial tree and placed it in the ‘C category’, which it described as being of 'low quality and value'.
Ms Swift also told the Stray Ferret that several plaques that were attached to the tree have been mysteriously removed in recent years.
She added:
A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said:
An MOD spokesperson said:
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