Up to 100 houses will be built next to the SAS headquarters in Hereford despite the Military of Defence warning of 24-hour noise from gunfire, attack alarms and helicopters.
The development of the housing estate in the shadow of the SAS barracks in Herefordshire has been given the green light by town hall planners despite concerns being raised by military brass.
The MoD have been embroiled in the planning row since November 2019, when military planning chiefs claimed the sound from a nearby firing range, helicopters flying overhead and camp attack alarms could lead to noise complaints from neighbours.
They have claimed that if objections were raised by residents, it could even reduce the 'operational effectiveness' of the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's headquarters.
Jodie McCabe, senior town planner for the MoD's Defence Infrastructure Organisation, wrote to town hall planners: 'Hereford Garrison is a highly operational unit. A number of facilities/uses on the site can produce a considerable amount of noise.
Google Earth screengrab detailing the marked area of the proposed housing development (top) and the existing SAS base in Hereford (bottom)
Planning document detailing the area of the proposed housing development next to the existing SAS base in Hereford
A general view of the entrance to the SAS base near Hereford
'This includes, but is not limited to, helicopter activities, the use of (firing) ranges, the camp attack alarm and generators within a number of key buildings. The garrison operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week for 365 days a year.
'The proposal could therefore lead to the potential for noise complaints from the new residents which could potentially force MoD to amend activities on the site, which could in turn adversely affect the operational effectiveness of the Garrison.'
Ms McCabe also said trees should not be allowed to grow between the housing site and SAS camp in a way which could see security compromised by allowing climbing. She also previously complained the applicants had not contacted the MoD to ensure the development didn't interfere with national defence interests.
Ms McCabe said: 'The application site is located immediately adjacent to Hereford Garrison which is an operational Defence site of national importance. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a number of concerns with the proposed development.
'Given that the application site is immediately adjacent to an operational MOD site and taking into account the importance of early engagement of key stakeholders in the pre-application
