Opponents of space radar station project call MoD consultation a shambles

Martin Shipton

Campaigners who oppose plans to open a space monitoring centre at a barracks in west Wales have strongly criticised the Ministry of Defence after a consultation website became inaccessible.

The MoD says a survey link was temporarily disrupted, but opponents of the project say it was typical of a public engagement exercise they have described as “shambolic”.

Proposals are being developed for the future of Cawdor Barracks – formerly RAF Brawdy in south Pembrokeshire – as part of the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) programme, a strategic agreement between the US, Australia, and the UK to provide 360° global space monitoring to detect, track, identify and characterise objects in deep space (up to around 23,000 miles).

National security

The MoD has said of the project: “Space is crucial for the nation and plays a critical role in our daily lives. Space services, including those delivered by satellites, underpin many aspects of modern life, from enabling navigation, monitoring the climate, forecasting the weather, supporting our emergency services, supporting our Critical National Infrastructure and protecting the public. Understanding what is in space is crucial for the UK’s interests, especially as space becomes more congested with satellites and debris.

“The proposed redevelopment of Cawdor Barracks for the DARC programme would help to protect our present and future prosperity and national security. By enhancing our awareness and understanding of what is happening in space, we can continue to ensure it remains safe, sustainable and accessible to all.”

The MoD announced in 2016 that the barracks, home to 14 Signal Regiment (Electronic Warfare), would close and this is currently planned to take place no earlier than 2028. The development of the site for DARC would, says the MoD, help keep the site open, with a permanent presence of up to 100 personnel to operate DARC.

But opponents of the proposal see it as a way of facilitating the US’s ability to militarily dominate all of space at the same time as having major safety concerns about the 27 radar dishes that would be built.

The campaigners have set up a group called PARC against DARC and recently attended two public engagement sessions in Solva and St Davids.

Serious questions

A PARC spokesperson said: “Person after person came out from these so called public engagement meetings telling us that they were an ‘utter shambles’, that they were being told completely different things by different ‘experts’ and that when pushed on any of the serious questions, they were answered with ‘we can’t answer that’ or ‘we don’t know yet’ over and over again. Others repeated the mantra that DARC was still at the ‘conception phase’, leaving us thinking it was strange they could have so much confidence in a proposal they seemed to know very little about at all.

“One local attendee told us that when they’d asked one of the top military officials present if he’d stand next to one of these radars himself, he’d replied, “No, I wouldn’t stand next to one of these radars myself; it’d be like putting my head in a microwave.’

“Another official, when quizzed as to why they hadn’t re-sent the invitation leaflets sent out to locals which had got wrong the local place names of Newgale, Middle Mill and Penycwm – calling them Newgate, Middle Hill and Penycwn – replied: ‘We could have done, but there wasn’t any point.’

“A further attendee told campaigners that when he asked if it was true that the construction phase of DARC would involve 120 LGV and HGV lorries per day driving along the Haverfordwest to St Davids road and up the narrow and angular Newgale hill, the reply he received was, ‘We don’t know, but I can tell you it will be less than you think.’

“Local resident Jenna asked a question about what the MoD could possibly do about the visual impacts of 27 radars on the landscape that would be unavoidable, Jenna was given answers that ranged from nothing, to maybe something if forced, to a man who confidently said they’d be growing enormous hedges in an area famous for its lack of anything growing beyond 3 ft in the harsh salt wind.”

Technical questions

The spokesperson added: “PARC Against DARC representatives asked a series of technical questions on safety and other issues but received no responses of any meaningful value or reassurance. The London-based PR company Cascade, which was responsible for running the event, were clearly out of their depth here in Wales. It was very apparent this firm was conducting a PR exercise and not the public engagement it was statutorily obliged to carry out.”

Criticising further the way public engagement had been handled, the spokesperson for PARC Against DARC said: “The MoD’s handling of this engagement process has just gone from bad to worse. First they got the names of our towns wrong, then they put on a consultation it’s fair to say was widely described as a shambles. But now, when we as residents get together to send the feedback they wanted from us as a community, they take their own form off the internet altogether. Anyone would think they’re looking pretty afraid of what people around here have to say about the proposal.

“ We’re sure the idea of running a public engagement process is that you want people to engage with it, so it’s strange to us that the MoD seems to be doing as much as it can to make sure as few people say anything about DARC in the area as possible.”

Committed 

An MoD spokesperson responded: “We are committed to engaging with the local community in developing proposals on the future of Cawdor Barracks as part of the DARC programme.

“Two public information events were recently held in Pembrokeshire and we are currently collecting feedback via a dedicated survey on our public website.

“Access to the survey link was temporarily disrupted and it has since been restored. At no point was the survey removed from the website. We look forward to continuing to receive feedback from the public.”