Redevelopment of military museum to go ahead

An artist's impression of the redeveloped DLI Museum

A motion to prevent the redevelopment of a military museum has been voted down by councillors.

The redevelopment of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) Museum in Aykley Heads, County Durham, has proved controversial due to its cost and because veterans' ashes had been scattered on the grounds.

A motion was submitted to Durham County Council to scrap the plans and turn the site into a memorial garden.

But after a heated debate, the council voted against the motion, meaning the redevelopment plans will go ahead.

The motion was brought by Labour councillor Kevin Shaw, who called for the destruction of the "sensitive area" to be halted immediately.

He said: "This site should never, ever have been developed, as there is no way of understanding where ashes have been laid."

He added: "It was always intended to become a permanent tranquil place to remember and reflect, and it should only ever be used for that purpose."

Funding

The motion was seconded by Labour councillor Alison Batey, who questioned why the museum's redevelopment could be financed after the council recently axed plans to open two leisure centres.

Deputy leader Richard Bell, Conservative, said that the council was funding the £19.9m redevelopment with £3.5m from central government and from profits made from the sale of its head office at The Sands.

The DLI Museum was closed in 2016 as part of the council's cost-cutting measures, but plans to redevelop the site were approved last year.

Campaigners recently called for the museum's redevelopment to stop, and claimed machinery being used had "desecrated" the land where soldiers' ashes had been scattered.

'Rectifying disrespect'

David McKenna, Labour, called on fellow councillors and other veterans in the room to support the motion.

"Think of those men. Is it worth a cafe, an art gallery or a retail space?" he said. "Does that justify the sacrifices of their legacy?"

But Conservative councillor Robert Potts, the council's veterans champion, said: "The right thing would have been not to have run down the DLI museum or close it.

"This redevelopment is about rectifying that disrespect to the veterans both past and present."

Concerns were also raised about where the museum's artefacts would be stored.

Council leader Amanda Hopgood, Liberal Democrat, explained the whole DLI collection will be held at The Story at Mount Oswald, but items from the collections would be exhibited on rotation at the DLI Museum.

The motion failed, with 63 councillors voting against, 53 voting for and one member abstaining from the vote.