The Welsh Government will decide whether a proposed array of large radar dishes can be built at Cawdor Barracks, Brawdy, after the planning application for the Ministry of Defence project was formally called in. The development would see 27 radar dishes installed, each around 20 metres high and 15 metres wide, to form part of a trilateral AUKUS security capability aimed at tracking objects in deep space.
What has been proposed
The scheme, described by the UK Government as a means to monitor objects in deep orbit and to safeguard satellite, communications and navigation networks, would place a substantial new radar facility within Pembrokeshire. Applications are only taken over by ministers in a small number of cases each year — fewer than a dozen out of roughly 25,000 applications in Wales — signalling the project's scale and sensitivity.
Local and political reactions
Opponents of the plan have raised concerns about the defence context and the wider implications for the militarisation of space. Campaign group PARC argued the system was being developed for the US Space Force and characterised it as an escalation in the use of military capability beyond Earth’s immediate environment.
"DARC has been described as a significant escalation in the militarisation of space,"
The Plaid Cymru-led Welsh Government has not given a comment on whether it will call the application in for refusal; its guidance states the power to call in applications is used rarely and only where proposals raise issues of more than local importance. Any member of the public may request an application be called in for ministerial consideration, though a request does not automatically mean refusal.
Practical implications for Pembrokeshire
- Scale: 27 dishes, each approximately 20m tall and 15m across.
- Location: Cawdor Barracks, Brawdy — a site with existing Ministry of Defence infrastructure.
- Decision process: Called-in applications are decided by Welsh ministers rather than the local planning authority.
For residents and local councils this decision raises several immediate issues: the visual and environmental impact of large installations in a rural coastal county, potential restrictions around a defence site, and questions about consultation and guarantees relating to noise, access and landscape protection.
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Number of dishes | 27 |
| Height | Approximately 20m (66ft) |
| Width | Approximately 15m (49ft) |
| Decision maker | Welsh Government ministers (called-in) |
The next stage is for ministers to examine the application in full. Local people and organisations will be watching closely for consultation arrangements and any environmental or planning assessments that accompany the proposal. The outcome will determine whether Pembrokeshire hosts a significant new piece of space surveillance infrastructure with implications beyond the county.
