‘I will not stand by as town’s military heart is ripped out’
Maidstone’s MP has vowed to not stand aside as the town’s “military heart is ripped out” as she launched an inquiry into the closure of Invicta Park Barracks.
Helen Grant was critical of the decision announced by defence secretary and Sevenoaks MP Michael Fallon last month to close the site, off Royal Engineers Road, in 2027, bringing to an end 229 years of military town status.
This week Mrs Grant, who has served Maidstone since 2010, announced she had written to Mr Fallon to get to the bottom of why the 41-hectare site could not receive troops from some of the 56 other bases which will be scrapped.
She said no other military site with close links to a town has a history longer than Invicta’s, adding: “For the last two weeks I have been liaising with senior military personnel and Maidstone Nepalese community lead- ers to gauge their opinions. They are unanimously opposed to closure for a range of reasons and will be working closely with me on this issue.
“I agree the Ministry of Defence has to modernise the UK’s military estate but there is a much wider case to answer in Maidstone. We’ve had a barracks here for more than 200 years and a military presence for much longer.
“I will not stand aside whilst Maidstone’s military heart is ripped out. There are big questions unanswered and I am determined to ensure the best out- come for our County Town and its long established military community.”
The closure also caused concern as Invicta Park is marked as a potential 1,300-home development in the council’s Local Plan.
Mrs Grant met with MoD Minister Mark Lancaster at 2pm on Wednesday to get to the bottom of why the decision was made.
So far this year the ministry has announced the closure of 91 bases, with enough land released to allow for the building of 55,000 homes in this parliamentary term.