Work to establish Machrihanish Airbase as the lead candidate to become the UK’s first spaceport continues
Argyll and Bute Council and the Machrihanish Airbase Community Company (MACC), working together under the title Discover Space UK, continue to go boldly towards outer space.
The lead consultant for Discover Space UK last week attended the Royal Aeronautical Society’s space group conference in London to state the case of Machrihanish as the leading site to a wide range of influential people involved in the aerospace industry.
Discover Space UK’s Chairman, Tom Millar, said: “We and our partners, Argyll and Bute Council, believe we have a compelling case and we will take every opportunity to promote our location. We want to unlock the enormous potential of our site and for the benefits to be felt as widely as possible.”
Leader of Argyll and Bute Council, Councillor Dick Walsh, welcomed this continued work, saying: ‘’We are pleased to continue to promote the merits of this site above the others on the shortlist.
‘’We are confident that it offers unique areas of competitive advantage over the others, particularly in terms of its size, over 1000 acres; the length of its runway, the longest in the United Kingdom at over 3km; the location, away from major centres of population, which is a key consideration; the distance from congested airspace and, crucially, the ability to expand.
’’We have been working closely with MACC over the past few months and look forward to lending further support as we continue to put a strong case forward for the site. Our main focus as a council is on creating jobs, growing our economy and attracting more people to Argyll and Bute. A spaceport would do just that, and really put the area on the global, or even interstellar, map.’’.
Notes
The other four permanent sites being considered to host an operational Spaceport by 2018 are Glasgow Prestwick and Stornoway, in Scotland; Newquay in England and Llanbedr in Wales. RAF Leuchars is confirmed as a potential temporary facility.
The government plans to use the successful site as a base for tourist flights as well as satellite launches.
MACC is account managed by the Argyll and the Islands Area Team of Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). HIE is an ambitious organisation with a unique remit which integrates economic and community development.
Machrihanish is identified as a strategic business site in the Argyll and Bute Local Development Plan and has an approved masterplan to guide future development on the site.