SPECULATION surrounding the ArmyÕs possible relocation from Bordon should be brought to an end this summer, when recommendations about its future are published.

The Ministry of Defence is nearing the end of a 12 month period of examining the results of a defence training review of the way that the Army, Navy and RAF train service personnel.

The review aims to find the best and most cost-effective way the three services can work together to provide joint training facilities and courses.

Staff at the Bordon Garrison and at Longmoor Camp are anxiously awaiting the publication of the recommendations of the review, which were expected next month, but have now been pushed back to the summer.

However, civic leaders in Gosport have this week voiced their support for an option which could see tri-service training brought under one venue on the south coast.

The MoD has confirmed that one of the options being considered is a possible relocation of up to 5,000 REME soldiers from bases in Bordon and Arborfield, and RAF engineering personnel from Chester, to HMS Sultan in Gosport.

It is one of a variety of options being considered, and defence bosses have stressed that no decision has been made, but civic leaders in Gosport are already backing the idea, believing that it would inject an extra £10 million into the townÕs economy.

Once the recommendations from the defence training review are published later in the year, the future of the garrison and Longmoor will be clearer.

A garrison spokesman said: ÒThe defence training review has been going on for some time now, looking at merging training, and especially tri-service training, under one roof and Sultan is one of the options, but at the moment we just do not know what the recommendations will be.Ó

The news comes only weeks after the MoD announced that RAF Oakhanger is to close at the end of the year after a civilian consortium was selected to take over and run the MoDÕs new Skynet 5 satellite system.

The sites in Oakhanger will be taken over by the Paradigm Consortium once contracts have been signed towards the end of the year.

However. staff at the garrison have said that any changes will not be implemented as rapidly as the changes at Oakhanger.

The spokesman said: ÒI think that we will still be here for a while yet.Ó