HMS Sultan survives closure as campaign to retain Royal Navy base sees success
A Royal Navy training base that was set to close is to remain open after a decision was reversed.
HMS Sultan was earmarked for closure by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as part of its 2016 'A Better defence estate' strategy which set out plans to dispose of 91 military sites across the UK.
An MOD spokesperson said: "We can confirm that we are retaining HMS Sultan for which we have an enduring requirement."
In 2019 it was announced the HMS Sultan site in Gosport, Hampshire, would not close until 2029.
HMS Sultan is the home of the Defence School of Marine Engineering (DSMarE) and the Royal Naval Air Engineering and Survival School (RNAESS).
The primary function of HMS Sultan is to supply the fleet with engineering officers and ratings of the highest standard.
Gosport MP Dame Caroline Dinenage, who has campaigned against Sultan's closure, told the BBC after the decision was reversed: "I'm delighted. Closing HMS Sultan would be a huge mistake for the MOD, the Royal Navy and Gosport.
"This area has a proud history of serving our Armed Forces and excellent facilities such as these are vital to ensuring that our personnel are equipped with the skills they need to defend our country."
MOD's Better Defence Estate strategy
The MOD says the Better Defence Estate strategy aims to "support military capability by providing a smaller, but better estate for the Armed Forces and their families out to 2040 and beyond."
"It is a detailed, long-term plan to reduce the defence built estate by 30% and provides a framework for the geographical lay down of our forces in the UK for at least a generation.
"The strategy has been developed in partnership with military leaders and sets out where investment will be concentrated and where sites will be sold to deliver a significantly smaller estate which is more efficient and better enables military capability."
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