Greenwich Council has unanimously passed a motion opposing Ministry of Defence plans to sell the Woolwich Barracks site, joining thousands of residents in opposition to the move.

The MOD confirmed in November that the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery will remain on site in Woolwich for the long-term, but the rest of the barracks will still be closed and sold off as planned.

The plan had been to close the Woolwich Barracks completely, but the Government had a change of heart last regarding the King's Troop, which local MP Matthew Penycook declared would help "retain our community's link with our armed forces."

But a strong campaign continues against plans to close the rest of the Grade II listed barracks, which have been at the heart of Woolwich since 1802.

Last week, Greenwich Council voted unanimously in favour of a motion opposing plans to sell the barracks site, with councillors from all parties unified in opposition.

The motion reads: “Council welcomes the announcement by the Ministry of Defence that the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery will remain in Woolwich as their “long-term home”, thus continuing our Borough’s long-established links with the Royal Artillery; but notes with concern that disposal of the rest of the historic Woolwich Barracks site is scheduled to continue “as planned”.

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"Council reaffirms its unanimous cross-party resolution of December 2016 to oppose the closure of Woolwich Barracks; notes that this opposition is shared by thousands of local residents who have signed petitions on the subject in recent years; and calls on the Government urgently to reconsider the disposal of this site, and keep Woolwich Barracks open.”

Cllr Danny Thorpe, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, said: "The Barracks and armed forces have a deep connection with our borough and we value their continued presence here.

"Councillors from both political parties are united in our opposition to the decision to sell the site.

"We successfully campaigned against a proposed sale in 2016 and I hope that the government changes its mind again.”

Plans to close the Woolwich Barracks were first revealed in 2016 as part of a 25-year strategy to "modernise its estate" and reduce its property ownership by a third.

A number of sites were to close, it was announced, with the programme to take effect by 2028.

Since then numerous campaigns have been launched to protect the site, including one led by Pennycook MP who last year presented a petition with 4,000 signatures rallying against the closure in the House of Commons last year.

“Woolwich is a military town, and we have a proud history with the Army locally, going back hundreds of years,” Cllr Hills, himself an Army veteran, said of the most recent move.

“The decision to close the barracks is simply wrong, and it needs to be reversed as soon as possible.

“I hope as many people as possible will sign this petition and let the government know the strength of feeling locally before it’s too late.”