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Fate of massive 20m-high space radar in ministers’ hands
The UK's Ministry of Defence has applied to build a large space radar station at Cawdor Barracks in Brawdy, Pembrokeshire, and the decision on whether to approve it will now be made by Welsh government ministers rather than the local council. The Welsh government's power to "call in" planning applications is used rarely, reserved for cases raising issues of more than local importance, and campaigners opposed to the project have welcomed the move as a chance for wider scrutiny.
The scheme would see 27 radar dishes, each 66ft (20m) high and 49ft (15m) wide, built as part of the trilateral AUKUS security partnership between the UK, US and Australia, forming the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC), which the UK government says is needed to track objects in deep space and protect satellite, communication and navigation networks. Only a handful of the roughly 25,000 planning applications made in Wales each year are called in this way. The campaign group People Against Radar Campaign (PARC) argues the facility is intended for the US Space Force and represents a "significant escalation in the militarisation of space", while the Plaid Cymru-led Welsh government has declined to comment on its decision to call in the application.
In short
- Welsh ministers, not the council, will decide on the Pembrokeshire space radar plan
- MoD wants 27 dishes, 20m high, for the AUKUS DARC project
- Campaigners say it risks escalating militarisation of space
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The government argues that protecting critical space infrastructure—satellites, communications, navigation networks—is essential for national security and civilian economies. As part of the AUKUS alliance, the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability represents a proportionate contribution to joint capabilities needed to track threats in an increasingly contested domain. The facility's location at an existing military barracks minimises disruption, and comparable systems operate internationally.
The case against
Critics contend the radar primarily serves US military interests rather than core UK defence needs, constituting a significant militarisation of space that could trigger international escalation. The substantial visual and environmental impact of 27 massive structures on a Welsh community cannot be justified if the system's primary beneficiary is a foreign power. The decision to bypass local consultation and invoke Welsh government oversight suggests an unwillingness to engage transparently with affected communities about expanded military infrastructure.
Explained simply
The UK Ministry of Defence has applied to build a radar station at Cawdor Barracks, a military site near Brawdy in Pembrokeshire. The proposed station is part of DARC, a project shared by the UK, US and Australia through their AUKUS security partnership.
The station would use 27 large radar dishes to track objects in deep space. The UK government says this would help protect satellites and the communication and navigation networks that depend on them.
Planning applications in Wales are usually decided locally, but ministers can take over cases they consider important beyond the local area. Campaigners opposing the station say it raises wider questions about military activity in space; the call-in means the proposal will be considered at Welsh government level.
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