A SPECIAL task force is being set up to plan for the future after an Army barracks closes for good in four years’ time.

Hundreds of soldiers and their families will be moving out of Ripon when the city’s Claro Barracks is closed in 2017.

Its closure was announced earlier this month as part of a £240m-a-year cost-cutting drive by the Ministry of Defence.

Now a number of key organisations are coming together to look at the expected impact of the decision and plan what can be done to minimise the economic blow.

Local councillor Alan Skidmore said: “The Army and Claro Barracks are part of the city.

“It is incredibly sad that they are closing but we must start planning for the future and that process must start now.

“Some proposals may take a long time to get off the drawing board, but we can’t afford to wait or the community and economy of Ripon will take an even bigger hit.”

Meetings are planned with the city, borough and county councils, the Local Economic Partnership and local MP Julian Smith MP.

The idea is to ensure a co-ordinated response and take steps to minimise the impact on the Ripon economy and begin to discuss the options for the future.

The arrangements are to be formalised through the creation of the Future of Claro Action Group, which will be led by Coun Skidmore and co-ordinated by Ripon’s development manager Alan Weston.

Local people will also have a say about the future of the barracks, and what they’d like to see on the site, as part of forthcoming discussions about the Ripon City Plan.

The chairman of the Ripon City Plan Group, Coun Mick Stanley, said their consultation would allow businesses and individuals – locals and visitors – to have a say.

“The Ripon City Plan consultation and the discussions about the future uses of Claro Barracks may be able to influence and help shape local planning policy,” he added.