09/10/2012

Massereene Barracks Up For Sale

The now-infamous Massereene Barracks have been put on the commercial property market.

The Magherafelt barracks made headlines around the world in March 2009 after two soldiers were murdered by the Real IRA.

Sappers Mark Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar were due to leave for Afghanistan when they were murdered as they opened the gates to collect a pizza order.

Brian Shivers, 46 from Magherafelt, is serving a life sentence for the murders.

Massereene was closed two years later as part of military restructuring.

The soldiers were the first army victims of the Troubles since Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick was killed by an IRA sniper in 1997.

The two men are now commemorated on a plaque at the town's cenotaph. The plaque was erected in the town following news that the MoD would be leaving the base.

Now the Defence Infrastructure Organisation has instructed the Belfast Office of agents GVA NI to handle the sale.

The complex at Massereene takes up nearly 17 hectares and includes more than 37,000 sq metres of buildings and warehouse space.

It includes dental and medical facilities, accommodation and a jetty onto Lough Neagh.

Ulster Unionist councillor Paul Michael told the BBC: "There is a lot of history on the site. It used to have torpedo factory and they would fire them out on the lough before the army took it over.

"In the current market I don't think that it will be sold any time soon though," he said.

(IT)

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