Leuchars Army base '˜must serve community'

North East Fife MP Stephen Gethins has welcomed an announcement by the Ministry of Defence that Leuchars Station will become the principal Army base for Scotland.
Stephen Gethins MP at LeucharsStephen Gethins MP at Leuchars
Stephen Gethins MP at Leuchars

The move would be good for the area’s economy and the community, but these had to be properly served by the main hub, he stressed.

Mr Gethins maintained any expansion must be ‘family friendly’, with facilities and accommodation designed to ensure families in the area, and those being relocated to Fife, feel welcome and settled.

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Mr Gethins said: “Leuchars Station is the best facility the MoD has and any investment is good for the local area.

North East Fife has a long and proud history of welcoming military families to the area, with a relationship with our military that goes back over a century.

He continued: “It is hugely important that any investment is carried out properly and in full consultation with service personnel and their families, and that accommodation is of good quality.

“The area has been through quite a bit of upheaval recently and it is crucial that developments are also conducted in consultation with the local community, so we can ensure families integrate into the community.”

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Mr Gethins added: “This will be good for them, the community and the local economy, and I look forward to the MoD setting out its plans very, very soon.”

The broadening of Leuchars’ role was announced last week as part of a £1.7 billion investment programme by UK Defence Minister Michael Fallon.