HELENSBURGH’S MP says the town and the surrounding area don’t need Trident to survive and prosper.

Brendan O’Hara was speaking at a ‘Life After Trident’ conference in the town on Saturday – at which he re-stated the SNP’s commitment that Faslane will not close in the event of Scotland becoming independent.

The conference, organised by the Scottish branch of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, was addressed by Mr O’Hara, Inverclyde MP Ronnie Cowan, Scottish CND vice-chair Janet Fenton and university professor Mike Danson.

Before the conference began, Mr O’Hara told the Advertiser: “This place doesn’t rely on Trident. This place doesn’t need Trident. It has a naval base and will continue to have a naval base after independence.

“The SNP has never said, and will never say, that Faslane will close. It has a very bright future, because Scotland’s territorial waters are absolutely colossal.

“We’re on the cusp of the high North Atlantic region, which is becoming one of the world’s real hot spots.

“Faslane can be whatever a government wants it to be.

“It would have to be reconfigured and investment would be required, but as a naval base it’s perfectly sited. The infrastructure is there for it to be the home of the Scottish defence force and for our allies. It’s a perfectly suited base for what an independent Scotland would want to see as its primary role.”

Mr Danson, a professor of enterprise policy at Heriot Watt University, said: “Even if Trident was scrapped tomorrow, most of the Trident workers at the base would still be working on Trident up to their retirement because of the work on decommissioning and maintenance.

“Only about five or six hundred jobs at the base are directly reliant upon Trident. Local authorities, trade unions and others have spoken about using the skills of those people in other areas such as renewable energy and specialist engineering.

“The United Nations will debate the legality of nuclear weapons later this year, and in those circumstances it’s irresponsible not to at least consider the possibility of life after Trident.”

The conference was chaired by Garelochhead resident Alannah Maurer, the chair of the Navy Not Nuclear campaign group.

Ms Maurer acknowledged that the notion of ‘life after Trident’ was entirely based on Scotland, at some time in the future, voting to become independent.

She said: “I’m hoping this event will spark debate and discussion, and not just among anti-nuclear campaigners, but among those who say Trident is an economic boon for this area.

“We hope to dispel this myth that the area can’t survive without Trident,” she added.

“Navy Not Nuclear is about supporting the armed forces, but eradicating nuclear weapons for a safer life for civilians and military personnel.

“But without independence the likelihood of shifting nukes out of this area is not realistic.”