Call to close army base

The British government should decommission an army base close to the border with the Republic, Fianna Fáil chairman Seamus Kirk claimed tonight.

Mr Kirk said the people of Co Down had suffered long enough.

“Residents of Forkhill in Newry should no longer have to put up with the noise pollution, helicopter overflights and fears of radiation emissions from the British Army base at Forkhill,” he said.

“As part of their commitment to demilitarisation, the British government should immediately decommission the base and mast and give peace of mind to this concerned community.”

The Louth TD added that he had previously raised the issue with Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen and the British authorities.

The matter was also taken up by Mr Cowen when he met Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Paul Murphy in January.

Mr Kirk said: “While the PSNI Chief Constable will carry out a further security review in the autumn, I believe we have been waiting too long for the situation at Forkhill to be normalised.”

The Fianna Fáil chairman pointed to “significantly higher noise levels” reported by a study by Newry and Mourne District Council at St Oliver Plunkett’s Primary School in Forkhill.

World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for community noise set a desirable noise level of 55 decibels but the study showed levels at the school in the mid 60s as a direct result of helicopter overflights.

Mr Kirk continued: “The issue of radiation emissions from the mast has also been raised with the British authorities who have stated that ’all mast emissions fall within statutory guidelines’.

“This is simply not enough to allay the fears of concerned residents.”

Mr Kirk added that he would again be raising the matter with both the Department of Foreign Affairs and the British government.