THE Vale of Glamorgan has been given a massive boost after the Government announced that a new £14billion military training academy is to be based at St Athan.

The academy - the largest ever single investment in Wales - will create 5,000 jobs and help contribute £58m annually to the local economy.

A further 1,500 building jobs will be there for the taking while the massive base is being constructed on the 600-acre site.

The academy is expected to cater for 10,000 Army, Navy and RAF personnel when it is fully operational in 2013.

MoD St Athan was competing against a rival bid from Cosford in Shropshire.

Two separate packages were up for grabs, and the Metrix Consortium - which headed the Welsh bid - won both.

Defence Secretary Des Browne made the announcement to MPs in the House of Commons yesterday.

Vale MP John Smith, who was at the Commons' Chamber when the announcement was made, said: "I am thrilled - this marks the end of a 10-year fight to secure the economic future of RAF St Athan.

"The Defence Academy is the largest single investment ever in the history of Wales - it is even larger than the investment for the 2012 London Olympics.

"The social and economic benefits of this record investment will be felt far beyond the people and businesses in the Vale of Glamorgan and the whole of the valleys."

Mr Smith and Vale AM Jane Hutt spearheaded a campaign over the past 18 months for the academy to come to St Athan.

Mr Smith said: "With my colleague, Vale AM Jane Hutt, I initiated a vigorous cross-party and cross-border campaign which argued the case for St Athan with key decision-makers and opinion farmers.

"From the outset we were very confident that the Ministry of Defence would not fail to see the enormous merits of choosing the St Athan bid.

"I believe the MoD have made the right decision. We have the skilled workforce, the facilities and the project team to make this a great success."

Mrs Hutt added: "This is brilliant news.

"The First Minister for Wales, Rhodri Morgan AM, has ensured that the Welsh Assembly Government is geared up to deliver the project with the Vale of Glamorgan Council."

Vale of Glamorgan Council leader Cllr Margaret Alexander said: "It was important for the council to demonstrate that it could efficiently deliver a project of this scale through the necessary statutory processes.

"It has also been very encouraging that the local communities around St Athan have always been supportive of this bid, and I am sure this has been another major factor in its success."

Paul Halstead, principal and chief executive of Barry College, was delighted with the announcement.

He said: "Barry College has supported the development of the Defence Training Academy in St Athan from the outset.

"We look forward to continuing this support - working with the consortium, local employers and the local community in the development and long term work of the academy."

First Minister Rhodri Morgan said: "This is great news for Wales and I am delighted that the Metrix consortium bid based at our aerospace park came up with the goods.

"Team Wales was up against the toughest possible competition in the bidding process, but we were able to show that we had the best location, the best facilities, the best workforce and the best environment."

And Andrew Davies, Welsh Assembly minister for enterprise, innovation and networks, said that the St Athan development will act as a motor for economic growth for the Welsh economy as a whole.

He said: "It opens up a range of high quality opportunities to develop training schemes and complements the Aerospace Centre of Excellence proposed by the Welsh Assembly Government, both of which can be readily accommodated on the site."

Welsh Conservative also welcomed the news.

Shadow secretary of state for Wales Cheryl Gillan MP said: "After so many setbacks in trying to make St Athan a centre of aviation excellence, this investment will ensure that the site has a viable, successful future.

"This development has the potential to make Wales a world leader for defence training."

And AM Alun Cairns, Conservative spokesperson for Enterprise, Innovation and Networks, said: "It's an incredible chance for St Athan to bounce back from the loss of so many jobs at the DARA facility.

"However, It is important that the development is handled sensitively, with thought to the impact upon the existing community.

"The Metrix bid included a huge range of social and leisure facilities to minimise disruption to locals. If the right balance is struck, everyone will be a winner."

David Melding AM, the member for South Wales Central, added: "We truly have cause for celebration. This is one of the most significant investments ever to come to Wales.

"I am pleased that the National Assembly All Party St Athan Group played a part in helping to secure this remarkable project.

"The Vale's trump card was that the infrastructure is already in place and St Athan is internationally recognised as a centre of aviation possessing a highly skilled workforce."

With the government confirming the building of a new defence training academy at St Athans, creating 5,000 jobs and contributing £58m to the local community, we asked local residents what they thought...

l 60-year-old Mike Davies, 'born and bred' in St Athan, said: "It's excellent! I'm sure it will prove to be a big boost to the area as well as the economy."

l Angela Evans, 42, from Rhoose, thinks it will benefit the community on a wider scale. She said: "It's about time we had some good news at St Athan. I'm sure it will be very positive for the whole of the Vale."

l Andrew Ralphs, 36, from Barry, was pleased as his brother works at the site. He said: "It's great news for our family."

l Sue O'Neill has recently moved to Barry from near the rival site at Cosford in the West Midlands. Sue is pleased although she has some environmental concerns: "Excellent news as long as the building work is sensitive to local buildings and Greenbelt land."

l Sharon Marks, 37, from Barry said: "If it creates as many jobs as the government says, we'll be very pleased."

l Mark Gates, 37, from Cadoxton, was cautiously optimistic about the announcement. He said: "On the face of it this is excellent news, but I'd also like to know just how many of these new jobs go to people from the local area - or will it be cheap European labour?"