The leader of Highland Council has demanded fresh talks with UK military chiefs over the future of the Fort George base and Army homes in Inverness.
Margaret Davidson wrote to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace frustrated at reports the UK Government could break its “firm promise” to keep the 250-year-old barracks open until 2032.
She also said the council had been seeking to use around 200 vacant military houses in the Highland capital to ease the area’s chronic shortage – and potentially to use them to help settle refugees who had fled Afghanistan.
But Ms Davidson said Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials had proved “extremely difficult to deal with”, branding them “too remote”.
The councillor has now urged them to “take this seriously and have proper discussions”.
Uncertainty has been surrounding the future of Fort George since it was reported last month the Army wanted to speed up plans to withdraw from the base near Ardersier, as well as the Glencorse and Redford barracks in the Edinburgh area.
After a long campaign to save the base, it was announced in 2016 that Fort George would be surplus to Army requirements.
Its closure was pushed back to 2032 in order to let the area prepare for the economic and social blow to the community.
However, there have been widespread fears that the shut-down could be fast-tracked.
‘Firm promise’
Ms Davidson said: “I’ve written to the minister and said, ‘look we are picking up these reports in the press, not officially, and we want to know if this is the case – are you reviewing again?’
“I was reiterating to him again that we were given this firm promise that Fort George would not be closing before 2032.
“We justified our case around the economic impact, and the long honourable traditions of the Army’s presence in the Highlands.
“We are needing clarity, number one, and not just react to a newspaper report.
“We do want answers, and although it is 10 years away, if you like, it’s not acceptable that they just think about walking away.”
Ms Davidson said she was still to receive a response, two weeks after writing to Mr Wallace.
Meanwhile, the council leader criticised the MoD over the failure of officials to engage with the local authority on the future of the site, which was built after the Battle of Culloden.
Inverness homes
The council is also keen to make use of homes used by service families in Inverness, but has found it difficult to get answers from the UK Government department.
They have been extremely difficult to deal with. Too remote.”
“Their property people have been noticeably difficult to get hold of,” she said.
“We’ve had recent discussions with them about making some of it (housing in Inverness) available because it wasn’t in use for a while.
“Because, one, we have huge housing needs. Two, we have traumatised Afghan refugees who we need to house.
“We have offered to (take them on), but again they have been extremely difficult to deal with. Too remote.
“Which is one of the reasons I have written to the minister. Let’s take this seriously and have proper discussions.”
Questions have also been asked in recent weeks about the future of Kinloss Barracks in Moray, amid claims the 39 Engineer Regiment could be relocated.
Last year, we revealed communications which showed that defence chiefs questioned whether Kinloss Barracks could become the new home of the famous Black Watch battalion, also known as 3 SCOTS, which is currently based at Fort George.
Private memos also showed that one MoD official speculated that Fort George would “probably lend itself to being subdivided into a hotel and serviced apartments aimed at the American/Asian market which could link in very easily to Inverness Airport and the Castle Stuart golf course plus other local attractions such as Brodie Castle and the distillery trail”.
The MoD said: “Suggestions that Army bases in Scotland will be closed ahead of time are wrong as no final decisions have been made.
“In the spring, it was announced in Parliament that the Army would be restructured to meet future threats as we implement the outcomes of the Integrated Review.
“The plans for structural reform are not yet finalised so speculation at this stage is unhelpful and misleading. Detailed plans will be submitted to ministers later this autumn and decisions made public when finalised.”