The battle to save the historic Fort George barracks from the axe is on the brink of being re-ignited.
Inverness MP Drew Hendry has revealed he has been working behind-the-scenes to form a cross-party coalition of politicians who are poised to demand an “urgent rethink” on the closure plans.
They will join forces later this month to deliver joint petitions against a raft of base closures across the country.
It will include the 6,000-signature Fight for Fort George campaign petition, which was led by the Press and Journal.
Defence chiefs provoked fury in November by confirming plans to withdraw the Army from the 250-year-old garrison near Ardersier, with the Black Watch battalion to move to a new barracks.
However, Fort George was given a 15-year stay of execution before the pull-out, after the Press and Journal and local politicians campaigned to save the base.
Mr Hendry is adamant that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) will have to abandon its plans to sell off the site by 2032 and is now poised to renew the campaign over the next few weeks.
His colleague Maree Todd MSP is also due to raise the issue in Holyrood this week during a debate on defence basing reforms.
Last night, Mr Hendry said: “The UK Government’s ill-thought out better defence strategy has been widely condemned and they must rethink its plans to close Fort George.
“As the National Audit Office report found last year, the MoD plans to close military sites don’t guarantee financial savings and that long delays and gaps in funding were anticipated.
“It is time for ministers to listen to the military communities, who have and continue to serve us day in and day out.”
The SNP MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey revealed he had been working with counterparts from across the country, including Conservatives, to try to force a U-turn on base closures.
“This is an issue that transcends party politics, affecting communities in all nations of the UK and since the announcement I have been working behind-the-scenes with other MPs from different parties, even Tory MPs who believe this is a
wrong-headed approach, to call for an urgent rethink,” he said.
“Later this month we hope to deliver joint petitions to the MoD, calling for an urgent reversal of these plans, before they do damage that cannot be undone.”
Built after the Battle of Culloden, Fort George is the oldest operational Army barracks in the country, and has been home to the famous Black Watch battalion for a decade.
The closure in 2032 is expected to cost the Highlands hundreds of jobs and £16million a year, and it has cast doubt over the future of the recently-refurbished regimental museum for The Highlanders, which is also at the site.
The campaign against shutting the base was backed by dozens of ex-service personnel and their families, as well as actor Hugh Grant, whose grandfather was a former commander at Fort George.
An MoD spokeswoman said: “Fort George is set to be used as a military establishment until 2032, and by giving certainty on Defence’s long term plans we can give clarity to the local community.”
“Every penny made from the sale of sites such as Fort George will be invested back into defence on things like the new maritime aircraft at Lossiemouth or the new ships being built on the Clyde.”
