Military training on Dartmoor. Photo: Chris Hargreaves, MoD
Outdoor campaigners expressed dismay at plans to extend military training on Dartmoor when the Ministry of Defence’s licence runs out in four years time.
Large tracts of the Dartmoor national park are used by the armed forces for training using live ammunition. Outdoor groups say this conflicts with the aims of a national park, which are to maintain public access and protect the area’s wilderness environment. The Dartmoor National Park Authority dismissed a report produced for the MoD as too few options were considered.
Natural England, the Government’s own conservation body, took a similar view, at loggerheads with the ministry, arguing that public access and conservation had not been given enough weight in an environmental assessment carried out for the MoD by Entec UK.
The two sides appear as far from reaching agreement as ever. The park authority says its aim is a ‘moorland free from live firing’. The MoD counters that the only alternative is to move all its present Dartmoor training to Scotland.
The Dartmoor Steering Group, a body with representatives from both sides as well as other interested parties, failed to agree a long-term strategy to deal with the conflicting needs. The Campaign for National Parks, the Ramblers’ Association, the Dartmoor Preservation Association and the Open Spaces Society all condemned the stalemate.
Ruth Chambers, head of policy for the CNP, said: “We are dismayed that the Ministry of Defence is claiming that it has made the case for continuing to occupy the Dartmoor National Park in the long term.
“Live firing with all its associated structures and activities is patently contrary to protecting Dartmoor’s wildness and quiet recreation.
“In our view, the competing national interests of protecting Dartmoor’s wildlife and enabling our armed forces to train ready for battle need to be looked at in an independent arena, rather than accepting the MoD’s assertion that training must continue at the same level, which it is bound to claim.
“It is difficult to see how the long-term aspiration of a Dartmoor free from damaging military training such as live firing can be met if we cannot persuade the MoD to enter more meaningfully into dialogue with national park interests.”
Dartmoor has been used for military training since the early 19th century. Artillery training started on Duchy of Cornwall land near Okehampton in 1875 and during the Second World War, virtually the whole moor was appropriated for military purposes. This was subsequently scaled back to three main areas.
The public is excluded when live ammunition is being used, but can use the moor at other times.
In 2001, the national park authority consulted the public on whether it wanted live firing to continue, with just over half – 52 per cent – saying they wanted it ending, and 48 per cent in favour of the military continuing using live ammunition.
A report by Lady Sharp published following an inquiry in 1975, concluded that the aims of the national park authority and the military did not fit well together. The Dartmoor Steering Group was set up to try to resolve these conflicting aims, something it clearly has difficulty achieving.
The DSG’s annual report was published earlier this month.
