Maidstone's MP has launched an inquiry into the decision to close the town's army barracks.

Earlier this month Defence Secretary and Sevenoaks MP Michael Fallon announced Invicta Park Barracks will shut in 2027, bringing to an end 229 years of military town status.

The decision caused outrage, with Helen Grant promising to ask Mr Fallon important questions and get to the bottom of why the 41-hectare site could not receive troops from some of the 56 other bases which will be scrapped.

The closure also caused concern as Invicta Park is marked as a potential 1,300-home development in Maidstone Borough Council's Local Plan.

Mrs Grant has written to Mr Fallon about the matter and will meet Ministry of Defence (MoD) Minister Mark Lancaster at 2pm today to get to the bottom of why the decision was made.

"I will not stand aside whilst Maidstone’s military heart is ripped out. There are big questions unanswered." — Helen Grant MP

A spokesman from her office said: "Mrs Grant's parliamentary team are also conducting research on the closure in a regional and a national context."

Mrs Grant said: "For the last two weeks I have been liaising with senior military personnel and Maidstone Nepalese community leaders to gauge their opinions; they are unanimously opposed to closure for a range of reasons and will be working closely with me on this issue.

"I agree the MoD has to modernise the UK’s military estate but there is a much wider case to answer in Maidstone. We’ve had a barracks here for more than 200 years and a military presence for much longer. In fact I understand that no other estate closure with close ties to their local town in the recent MoD announcement has a longer history than ours.

"I will not stand aside whilst Maidstone’s military heart is ripped out. There are big questions unanswered and I am determined to ensure the best outcome for our County town and it’s long established military community."

So far this year the MoD has announced the closure of 91 bases, with enough land released to allow for the building of 55,000 homes in this parliamentary term.