Clive Fairweather: It's in the middle of nowhere, so how will barracks handle hundreds of squaddies?

FLY me to the Moon, that old crooner's favourite, comes to mind when examining the suitability of the proposed new barracks site for a thousand (or more likely double that many) troops at Kirknewton.FLY me to the Moon, that old crooner's favourite, comes to mind when examining the suitability of the proposed new barracks site for a thousand (or more likely double that many) troops at Kirknewton.

The old airfield site is, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere. Any newly created guardroom will be a 25-minute walk down a minor and unlit road from the small village of the same name. But it's a much heftier route march, even for a fit and testosterone-fuelled soldier, to get home to bed along an equally stygian main road from the late-night bus service at distant Balerno.

Driving (stone cold sober, of course) is an attractive, though expensive option for those lucky enough to own a car between frequent tours of overseas duty. Whilst local commanding officers will naturally welcome the news that spanking new barracks for the long-term future are to be invested in, the burning question is whether this really is the place to do it?

More especially when the plan appears not to have had much input from phlegmatic military leaders well versed in the basic needs of infantrymen and other soldiers. The army left an adjacent site at Kirknewton less than 20 years ago because "state-of-the-art" barracks were being created at Dreghorn close to Edinburgh's myriad of schools and the many other attractions the capital brings.

Even more perversely, the nearest ranges and training areas on the slopes of the Pentlands are in precisely the opposite direction from Kirknewton, but only minutes from Colinton. Not that Redford Barracks couldn't do with some upgrading, as its many bosses (including me) have learned in the recent past. But essentially what the new plan means is the creation of a bleak dormitory town, with virtually no adjacent facilities, between the A70 "Lang Whang" and the A71 to the Calders.

Admittedly an occasional train for Edinburgh does stop close to the village, though its inhabitants must be starting to wonder how its solitary pub will cope with dozens, if not hundreds, of boisterous squaddies on pay day, if for any reason the line is not functioning at the appropriate times.

The "Lang Whang" is said to enjoy well above average rainfall, due to the frequent delivery of Atlantic rain on to East and West Cairn hills.

Nor should it be forgotten that cycling to Kirknewton may become a popular and more green option for all ranks, especially after a night out in the capital. But as a former commanding officer, I would advise the inhabitants of Balerno to invest in chains and padlocks for their own trusty mounts, well before Dr Fox's cunning plan becomes reality.