ABOUT 1,500 people would directly benefit from an ambitious scheme to create a northern outpost of the National Army Museum, a report has claimed.

An economic impact study into the £19m proposal showed it would have major positive knock-on effects for the people of Richmondshire.

Those effects would include the creation of almost 300 full-time jobs and the injection of about £2.68m into the local economy.

The proposal for the National Army Museum (NAM) North, beside Marne Barracks, at Catterick Garrison, suffered a setback earlier this year when the Heritage Lottery Fund turned down an application for a grant of £4.5m.

But museum chiefs are still determined to press ahead with the project and commissioned the impact study from Prince Research Consultants.

The scheme is designed to be an enjoyable and interactive learning environment for the study of military history, and offer greater access to the national collection.

But the study showed that the local population would benefit in other ways from the success of the development.

It evaluated the likely economic impact of NAM North by the number of full-time-equivalent jobs created and sustained in the local economy by the development, plus the number of indirect, induced jobs created as a result of the throughflow and retention of tourist money in the locality.

It took into account that jobs would be created during the construction of the building, the full-time and part-time staff that the completed museum will employ, and also the increased expenditure in the area by the museum, its staff and tourists.

Assistant Director David Smurthwaite said: "We already know that support within Yorkshire for the project is strong, but this analysis shows that the National Army Museum North would also help to support and sustain the local community.

"What's particularly interesting is that this study does not take into account the effect that the development will have on the image of the local area, and its likely contribution to further inward investment in Richmondshire."

The proposed development would complement the national museum in Chelsea and would give people living in the North access to a treasured collection, including 150 military vehicles.

The proposed site is already rich in military history, including the remains of a motte-and-bailey castle and significant Second World War command installations.