Ulster Unionist Economy spokesperson, Mike Nesbitt, has called for a strategic approach to the sale of the army bases gifted to the NI Executive. The Strangford MLA was reacting to today’s criticism of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister over the sale of the Malone Road Barracks. The Northern Ireland Audit Office concluded the sale did not represent best value for the taxpayer, and the Strangford MLA believes there are serious fundamental questions to be answered on foot of this conclusion.

“The Northern Ireland Executive has been gifted  a number of former military sites by the Ministry of Defence since 2003, representing over 1,000 acres of land, but there does not appear to be a strategy for how the Executive is going to use that land for the benefit of the people. The Maze site is the prime example. A Masterplan was agreed by all parties several years ago, which would have given our young people a National Sports Stadium in time for them to be part of the Greatest Show on Earth, the 2012 Olympic Games, but nothing ever came of it.

“Worse, like all these old Army sites, the land may have come cost free, but clearing the land of contamination has a huge bill. The estimate for the Maze alone is £8.5 million. Given that the Shackleton Barracks in Ballykelly is twice the size, can we assume the bill for remediation works there will be £17 million? And what about the annual costs of upkeep, maintenance and security on these sites?

“In general, the Ulster Unionist Party want these sites, where possible, to be used for the benefit of the local communities or sold to create much needed revenue which can be ploughed back into frontline services. Like most things at Stormont, progress has been far too slow. We need to set a strategic direction for the use of these lands and get on with it.”