THE Ministry of Defence wants to upgrade accommodation at the Knook army camp next to the A36 south of Warminster.

The MoD's Defence Infrastructure Organisations wants to demolish the camp’s existing buildings and construct seven single-storey accommodation blocks and associated external work.

The move is using money from a £200 million investment to improve armed forces accommodation announced by the Defence Secretary last summer.

The MoD wants to install more carbon efficient accommodation blocks on training sites, including Knook Camp on Salisbury Plain.

The plans have been unanimously backed by Heytesbury, Imber & Knook parish councillors but they have some reservations about the lighting the MoD wishes to install.

Supporting the application, members said they were “pleased” the MOD was investing in the Knook Camp close to the A36 and the B390 road to Chitterne.

The parish council had supported the Cranbourne Chase AONB Dark Sky application, which was approved in 2019.

It has since worked with local communities and parishes to encourage the MoD to reduce light pollution from its security lighting.

They said the proposed lighting plan for the new facilities did not appear to meet the relevant limits and would like these to be reviewed.

They will also ask if the seven trees that are to be removed, could be replaced with new trees elsewhere on the site.

The MoD proposals represent an accommodation upgrade for the people using the facility, which was established in October 1914 as an artillery camp,

The camp was also used during the Second World War and was occupied by The 55th Armoured Infantry Battalion, 11th Armoured Division, third US Army, while preparing for the D-Day landings in 1944.

It later became part of the Salisbury Plain military training area on the Defence Training Estate.

Nowadays, Knook Camp is a transit training camp used throughout the year by the regular army, Territorial Army and cadet forces.

The existing camp accommodation consists of wooden huts, with lecture rooms, offices and a large central cook house.