THE Ministry of Defence has applied for permission to keep a pre-fabricated accommodation block for 72 soldiers for a further 15 years, despite it originally supposed to have been demolished by 2015.

Richmondshire District Council’s planning committee will consider the move to retain the building at Marne Barracks, Catterick, which is home to 5 Regiment Royal Artillery and 32 Engineer Regiment.

The building was built to provide additional living accommodation for personnel “to meet a pressing operational need”, and approved for a period of five years in 2010, with a condition requiring its removal on or before February 2015.

A planning officers’ report to the committee states: “It was envisaged that the accommodation would only be required for a short amount of time, which at the time temporary planning permission was granted for the building, was an important consideration in the determination of the application. The building is contained within the enclosed, built confines of Marne Barracks with no visual impact from outside the site. The form and external appearance of the building reflects its modular construction and was always intended to be provided on site on a temporary basis.”

Recommending the plan for approval, officers said they recognised the minimum lifespan of the building would be 25 years.

They said a further temporary planning permission for a period of 15 years “would be appropriate”.