The Ministry of Defence has proposed constructing a space radar facility at Cawdor Barracks in Brawdy, Pembrokeshire, consisting of 27 radar dishes each measuring 20 meters high and 15 meters wide. The project forms part of the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC), a collaborative defense initiative involving the UK, United States, and Australia under the AUKUS security partnership.
Under Welsh government procedures, the planning application for the radar station will be decided by Welsh ministers rather than proceeding through standard local council approval. The government calls in fewer than a dozen planning applications annually from approximately 25,000 submitted across Wales, typically reserving this process for proposals raising issues of national rather than local significance.
The UK government has characterized DARC as essential infrastructure for tracking objects in deep space and protecting satellite, communication, and navigation networks. The campaign group People Against Radar Campaign (PARC) has opposed the facility, arguing it represents a significant escalation in space militarization and serves primarily the interests of the US Space Force. PARC also noted connections between the project’s development and increased US military spending.
The Plaid Cymru-led Welsh government has not commented on whether it will call in the application. Officials stated that while any person may request such intervention, approval of a call-in request does not predetermined the outcome of the planning decision. The government emphasized that the power to call in applications is used infrequently and only when proposals present considerations extending beyond local impact.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI