EAST Hampshire District Council has attempted to put a positive slant on claims in last week's Herald, which suggested Bordon could become a "ghost town". The government is set to decide upon the future of troop training in the town, with a decision due in October about the location of a new, multi-million pound defence college. Bordon finds itself in a head-on battle with St Athan in South Wales for the lucrative contract, which could either see multi-million investment, or the subsequently vacant Army land used for the construction of up to 5,500 homes in the town. Hampshire-based consortium MC3 Training has bid for the contract to increase defence training in Bordon, which would involve a £250million investment in the construction of a military college. If successful, this is anticipated to create more than 1,000 jobs; double the number of students; attract visitors to a museum of armed vehicles, and give civilians in the town greater access to leisure facilities Should MC3 win the contract, a smaller amount of land would be released with the potential for around 2,000 new homes with some greenfield release. The college would also attract new investment to the town, with improved shops, leisure and other town centre facilities. However, the rival bid, put forward by Metrix, would relocate a significant part of defence training to Wales, while retaining an "ongoing training function at Bordon". Should this eventuality occur, according to a district council spokesman, "this would free up a large amount of land which, together with some greenfield land, will create space for up to 5,500 houses and drive the development of a new town with better facilities". An Opportunity Steering Group - made up of local and government agencies - is working towards a "masterplan" for developing the town, while protecting the environment, in consultation with residents. The chairman of the group, East Hampshire district councillor Andrew Pattie, said: "Whatever the Ministry of Defence's decision, there is a fantastic opportunity for Whitehill and Bordon. "We know that the area is crying out for better facilities and a new town centre, and either outcome will help us to achieve improvements. "If the new college is built this will create jobs, stimulate the local economy, and allow for some expansion of the town and town centre. "If the Army leave, it will enable a larger scale redevelopment of a new town." Meanwhile, local resident Tony Thorn expressed his concern in a letter to The Herald about Bordon's future - whichever way the the decision goes. He believes Bordon's future lies "somewhere between a rock and a hard place", believing that if the Army stays councillors will fail to make "meaningful planning decisions involving the thousands of acres of MoD-occupied land". But if it leaves, he says, central government will build thousands of new houses and "in a decade our pleasant small country town of 14,000 people will have more than doubled its population to a sprawl of 30,000".
