Machrihanish Airbase Community Buy-out

[MACC]

MACHRIHANISH AIRBASE
 
COMMUNITY OPEN EVENING
TUESDAY 27TH JULY FROM 6PM-9PM
TOWN HALL, MAIN STREET, CAMPBELTOWN

Following the successful community ballot, the Machrihanish Airbase Community Company is progressing its business plan with a view to proposing to purchase Machrihanish Airbase provided the business plan shows that it will be a viable proposition.

This meeting is to update the community on progress, listen to the views of local people and generate ideas for the site.

This is a drop-in session so although the event starts at 6pm please feel free to arrive at any point up until
its 9pm close.

If you are unable to attend but would like to provide comments or to be kept updated please email us at
machrihanish.comments@dtz.com

[MACC]

Machrihanish Airbase Community Company Newsletter
Issue 1 | July 2010
Machrihanish Airbase Community Company (MACC) Electronic Newsletter

Introduction

Welcome to the first Machrihanish Airbase Community Company (MACC) electronic newsletter which aims to update interested parties on the progress associated with the potential community purchase of Machrihanish Airbase. We hope you will find the contents of this newsletter informative and would encourage you to attend our community open evening on Tuesday 27th July (more details below). Please feel free to forward this newsletter onto any of your contacts who you feel may find it useful. Alternatively if you would like to provide us with any feedback or comments on the newsletter please speak to one of the MACC Directors or contact our advisors at machrihanish.comments@dtz.com



Who are MACC?

The Machrihanish Airbase Community Company (MACC) has been formed to benefit the community of South Kintyre with the following purposes:

To manage community land and associated assets for the benefit of the community and the public in general following principles of sustainable development, where sustainable development means development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own need.

To advance community development and rural regeneration following principles of sustainable development as outlined above

There are 10 MACC Directors who are responsible for co-ordinating the group's activities. For more information on the MACC Directors and who they are please click here.

Why Purchase Machrihanish Airbase?

The community of South Kintyre recognises that the Machrihanish Airbase offers huge potential via the community ownership of the 1,025 acres of land and associated assets on the south west side of the peninsula, 5 miles from the main town of Campbeltown. This vast asset has the potential to deliver lasting benefits to the community now and in the future and MACC aims to maximise the community benefit via a range of sustainable economic development activities. It will enable the community to explore developments that can bring local economic benefit, renewable and environmental business opportunities and social facilities to benefit the wider community. These benefits will come directly from development at Machrihanish Airbase and the surrounding area. Click here for more details.

MACC and local people have recognised that the airbase offers a unique opportunity to secure a sustainable economic base from which they can attract inward investment and support indigenous business growth for the longer term benefit of the local area. The South Kintyre area has been greatly affected by the boom and bust effects of economic growth and decline which has significant impact due to the rural location and inability for residents to access alternative employment due to distances from other main towns. The local community aim to utilise the resources and potential of the airbase site to support and encourage the local skills base and inward investors to capitalise on the unique infrastructure and accessibility of the site given the air, road and sea transport routes that the area offers. Campbeltown offers a sheltered deep sea harbour, which has recently been upgraded and the Airbase site offers a 3,000 m runway, taxiway and hanger facilities for air transportation.

We fully understand that these benefits can only be achieved by producing an economically viable development plan for the site which addresses the liabilities that have been identified.
Site Valuation

Machrihanish Airbase has been valued independently at £1. Although this seems like a bargain price there are liabilities associated with the site which we require to investigate before agreeing to the final purchase.
For example, investment will be required in areas such as water, sewerage and contamination. With this in mind, it is of vital importance that our business plan allows us to meet these obligations whilst also allowing us to make a return which can be used for the benefit of the local community. To view a copy of the valuation report - please click here.

Successful Community Ballot
A community ballot was conducted between 14th – 24th May 2010 which asked local residents (in the PA28 6 postcode area):

Do you want the people of Kintyre to have an opportunity to purchase Machriahnish Airbase?

Of the 4,007 local residents who voted, a staggering 97.4% were in favour of the purchase! This is an excellent result and has now been forwarded to the Scottish Government for their official sign off of the ballot and endorsement of the site purchase. For a full breakdown of the ballot results – see below,


Total number of eligible voters
5,949
Total votes cast
4,007
(67.36%)
Total in favour
3,903
(97.40%)
Total against
96
(2.40%)
Votes spoiled
8
(0.20%)

Business Plan and Contamination Advisors Appointed

MACC has now formally engaged with advisors to assist them with preparing a business plan and various technical reports/investigations for the site. The business planning aspect is being led by DTZ, a global property consultancy which previously provided advice to the Comrie Development Trust for their successful purchase of Cultybraggan Army Camp. The technical aspects which will deal with issues associated with contamination and water supply are being considered by WSP who have prior experience of working on numerous Ministry of Defence sites. The team began work 3 weeks ago and will be in attendance at the Community Open Evening for questions and answers.
Community Open Evening



MACC and their advisors will be holding a Community Open Evening on Tuesday 27th July, 6-9pm at the Town Hall, Main Street, Campbeltown.This meeting is to update the community on progress, listen to the views of local people and generate ideas for the site.This is a drop-in session so although the event starts at 6pm please feel free to arrive at any point up until its 9pm close.

Again, if you are unable to attend but would like to provide comments or to be kept updated please email us at machrihanish.comments@dtz.com

Workshops

Following the Community Open Evening, MACC and their advisors will be running a number of workshops to explore some of the ideas and options in more detail. We will confirm the dates of these shortly.

Business Plan Presentation

Upon completion of the Business Plan we will report back to another public meeting in early September to outline the key components of the plan and highlight how the ideas from the Community Evening and workshops have been incorporated.

[zeus]

At last common sense has prevailed and the Scottish Executive has rejected the Community buy-out application ..
I think the board have some explaining to do as to the reasons this application was rejected maybe they will post the rejection document in full so we the community can see for ourselves the reasons this bid failed but I wont hold my breath..

[MACC]

The right to buy has been extinguished due to a number of legal and technical issues. BUT our registration remains and therefore the MOD cannot sell it to anyone else. The silver lining is that we now have more time develop our business plan and to negotiate with MOD. If that is unsuccessful then the MOD can put it up for sale but we will have the right to go through the right to buy process again.

[Mr.Everready]

The right to buy has been extinguished due to a number of legal and technical issues.

Care to tell us what some of them are ?

[mrsbagpuss]

just wondered if the business plan is available for the public to view? If so where? or can you tell us about it on here in more detail? (I am unable to attend meetings for various reasons).

[maxmix]

just wondered if the business plan is available for the public to view? If so where? or can you tell us about it on here in more detail? (I am unable to attend meetings for various reasons).

MACC says above that the Business plan can be further developed now, now that there is extra time to be had...

maxmix

[mrsbagpuss]

I just wondered what the existing business plan contained? I have no idea at all what is being proposed for the base, I am genuinly interested, but I've asked a few people (obviously not the right peops) and no one seems to know what its intended use will be if community buy out is a success next time. Leisure, industry etc

[Nomad]

i heard it was for the new tesco...........

[maxmix]

i heard it was for the new tesco...........

At least it would have a decent size car park

maxmix

[seanie]

The right to buy has been extinguished due to a number of legal and technical issues.

Care to tell us what some of them are ?

If it's of any use I came across the refusal notice.

[kintyre56]

Seanie, I note that you only joined the forum this afternoon! I presume therefore that you are an "Astroturfer"!

[WC1]

The community voted by an overwhelming majority for the buy-out. Is it remotely possibly that the extinguishing of the right to do so (interesting turn of phrase there) was the result of a complaint by a disgruntled member of the underwhelming minority?

[Kintyre Forum News]

The right to buy has been extinguished due to a number of legal and technical issues.

Care to tell us what some of them are ?

If it's of any use I came across the refusal notice.

Seanie,

Thanks for posting this link - very interesting reading

http://www.andywightman.com/docs/rtb%20 ... 100811.pdf

Makes one wonder what you have to do to do anything correct these days! You say it perfectly in your blog

"I say, once again, let’s simplify this legislation so that it truly empowers communities instead of enmeshing them in a quagmire of fine legal arguments." http://www.andywightman.com/wordpress/?p=74#comments

Thanks again

[seanie]

Seanie, I note that you only joined the forum this afternoon! I presume therefore that you are an "Astroturfer"!

Nope.

Apart from a week's holiday in Saddle a couple of years ago I have no connection at all with anything in Kintyre.

I live in Edinburgh and occassionally look at Andy Wightman's blog because I'm interested in some of the topics he talks about, particularly Common Good. I came across his blog-post on the buy-out refusal and, purely out of curiosity, I googled to find out more of the background. Which is how I found this forum and saw the query about why it was refused. So I joined and posted the link from Andy Wightman's blog.

I'm a disinterested party, who knows virtually nothing about the issue, certainly not enough to have an opinion on it.