Dover council said the battalion would not be replaced

Dover District Council has revealed Ministry of Defence (MoD) plans to move the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment to Wales in March.

The council said the MoD had no plans to replace the battalion after it left.

Councillor Paul Watkins said the Gurkhas would stay at the Burgoyne Heights complex and the playing fields and community centre would remain.

Regeneration hopes

Mayor of Dover, Ken Tranter, said the town currently had "a fully operational battalion that spends very little time here"

He said: "Consequently, families have dwindled."

And he added the battalion had been a vital contributor to the economy, but had not put in "a massive amount" in recent years.

Mr Tranter said: "The new users - hopefully the Gurkhas - are based here and will be living here so we won't be losing them for weekends and holidays.

"And eventually the new people coming in should regenerate the area considerably."