York celebrates Armed Forces Week

City of York Council is joining partners across the city and the UK, to celebrate and recognise the contribution of our Armed Forces later this month Saturday (29 June).

Armed Forces Day is a chance for communities to show support for the men and women who make up the Armed Forces community: from currently serving personnel to Service families, veterans and cadets.

It marks the culmination of a week of celebrations, beginning on Monday 24 June, when the public show their support and appreciation for the Armed Forces community. It also includes Reserves Day (26 June), which provides the country with an opportunity to recognise our Reserve Forces.

Organisations across York will be showing their support for Armed Forces personnel once again this year, offering discounts either on Armed Forces Day, or for the week. Many businesses and attractions offer discounts to serving personnel throughout the year.

The national Armed Forces Day flag will also be flown above York’s iconic Mansion House throughout the week as part of the city’s celebrations.

This year, residents can get involved in celebrating sport and service at the inaugural Armed Forces Day Football Fest.

Sponsored by LNER, the Armed Forces Day Football Fest will be held at the LNER Community Stadium on Saturday 6 July, from 11am – 5pm, with Ladies’ and Men’s teams from the British Army going head-to-head with North Yorkshire Police.

Free tickets are available online.

Laura Williams, Assistant Director of Customer, Communities and Inclusion, said:

“Armed Forces Week gives communities across the city the opportunity to thank the Armed Forces and recognise the sacrifice they and their families make.

“The inaugural Armed Forces Football Fest is a fantastic way for everyone to get involved in celebrating sport and service and I’d encourage people to get their free tickets for what promises to be a fun, family-friendly event.”

City of York Council is committed to working across the city to support its armed forces community, setting out its support through the Armed Forces Covenant. It focuses on helping members of the Armed Forces community have the same access to government and commercial services and products as any other citizen.

A weekly Armed Forces Drop Centre at the Spurriergate Centre (YO1 9QR) also provides social and welfare support for members of the armed forces community in York.

The council publishes an Armed Forces Community Information and Directory of Support, which provides serving armed forces personnel, their families, reservists and veterans, with the details of help and support available from a wide range of organisations locally and nationally.

Further information about Armed Forces Week offers, regular events and a copy of the directory is available online.

You can find further information on the Armed Forces Covenant online.

Strensall army camp to remain open – shock announcement

The MOD has announced its intention, not only to retain the use of the army camp at Strensall. but also to extend the occupation of the facility.

A planning inquiry had previously been told that the camp would close and that the MOD wanted to obtain planning permission to build homes on the site.

Now that has all changed

The full text of the letter notifying the planning inquiry of the change in policy says,

We write to inform you that the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Army Programme has received approval from the Minister for Defence Procurement (MinDP) to retain Queen Elizabeth Barracks (QEB) and Towthorpe Lines at Strensall.

As you will be aware these sites were due for disposal in 2024 in line with plans to optimise the Defence Estate and had proposed allocations at submission stage of the Local Plan (dated February 2018) ST35 and H59 for a combined total of 545 homes at QEB and Site E18: Towthorpe Lines, Strensall for 13,200sqm employment floorspace. You will recall detailed discussions around QEB throughout the Local Plan examination. However, following extensive assessment of alternative locations for the Units, the Army’s preferred option is to remain in Strensall; therefore following MinDP’s approval, the sites will no longer be sold. QEB and Towthorpe Lines will remain home to 21 Multi-Role Medical Regiment (MMR), who will be joined by 22 MMR, both supporting the deployed force. DIOs position on these two sites has therefore materially changed and it is therefore important to draw this to your attention with immediate effect.

The retention of Army Barracks in Strensall reinforces consolidation of specialist medical capability. The co-location of Multi-Role Medical Regiments will improve training and coherence for medical personnel preparing to deploy on operations to support the Army around the world. The decision to retain QEB and Towthorpe Lines also demonstrates the Ministry of Defence’s continued commitment to supporting military outputs in Yorkshire, by
establishing a Brigade-sized group within an existing Defence footprint in the greater York area.

The addition of a further regiment at Strensall will require considerable investment and development activities at the site to enhance defence output. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) will be undertaking pre-application discussions with the City of York Council (CYC) in preparation for planning submissions in the near future.

The Inspectors will be aware of DIO’s extensive representations throughout the examination process and substantive arguments particularly in regard to the Green Belt boundary and the sites relationship with the Strensall Common Special Area of Conservation and on the Habitat Regulations Assessments.

Whilst MOD’s stance on QEB and Towthorpe Lines has changed, importantly the following points set out in writing and orally in relation to Phase 3 Matter 5 of the Examination remain valid and relevant to your considerations of the soundness of the York Local Plan:

*the correct approach that should be undertaken in regard to the Green Belt boundary around ST35 and H59. Regardless of the use of the site, our representations to inform the fixing of the Green Belt Boundaries around Strensall and QEB remain relevant.

*our fundamental objection to the addition of policy GI2a, as it is not required to make the Plan sound and arguably not required for compliance with the Habitat Regulations.

In addition, in the light of the decision that has been taken to retain QEB and Towthorpe Lines, their importance operationally, and the investment that is to be made in these sites going forward to increase the MoDs operational output, it is important, in line with paragraph 164 of the 2012 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and paragraph 101 of the 2023 NPPF, that policies in the Local Plan recognise and support development required for operational defence and security purposes, and ensure that these operational sites are not affected adversely by the impact of other development proposed in the area.”

Letter from MOD 22nd March 2024

The letter to the planng inspectors goes on to say that the MOD remains committed to the disposal of Imphal Barracks and note that the emerging local plan seeks to secure a future use for the site following the vacation of the Army and is fully supportive of a proposed allocation at ST36 for residential development of up to 769 dwellings, in line with our representations on this site, throughout the Examination in Public process to date.

There had been controversy about the MODs plans to build houses on the vacated base at Strensall.

No alloction was included in the Draft Local Plan so the MODs change of heart will have little direct impact on other aspects of the proposals.

York Support Group For Military Veterans

City of York Council is working with several partners in York to provide a Military Veterans and Service Leavers Peer Support Group.

The sessions, which are held every Wednesday from 5.30pm until 7.00pm in Sycamore House, is a peer network of ex-military personnel who can provide information, advice and support to any member of the armed forces going through re-settlement, any ex-forces personnel or armed forces dependents.