Machrihanish Airbase Community Buy-out

[kintyre56]

Excellent news that the community can buy the base for £1. I heard that the liabilities are diminishing as MOD have been persuaded to do some more work on the contamination issue. It just needs Scottish Water to take over the liability for the water and sewage then the community would have a workable asset. I hope the community will do the right thing and turn out to vote to enable this exciting venture to happen.

[Mist Rolling In]

I hope that people realise that what a valuation of £1 means?!

To have a valuation so low on such a large site means that liabilities have been found to be colossal. We have heard figures of £20 million minimum - work needed on the runway, ground contamination, work needed on sewerage system, on the water system, none of the buildings having planning permission and crucially running costs of £1.3 million per year - on a care and maintenance basis only.

Kintyre 56 - I would be interested to hear if the clean up by the MOD is actually confirmed or not? Last I heard, they were not going to entertain such a thing.

I hope that MACC will do the right thing for us locals and make all of this information (including copies of the full valuation, which surely must mention the level of liability) available to us before asking us to vote on anything.

[mary]

I do hope the community is not going to be negative and apathetic about this great opportunity! The fact is that none of the authorities were prepared to take it on and that left us in the situation whereby this potentially enormous asset to the area would be lost to the community. It also left us in the position where we could have no influence or put any pressure on the MOD not to walk away leaving the airbase in a state of disrepair with massive liabilities. We need to be able to persuade MOD not to walk away from its obligation to leave the airbase with no liabilities. We need the community's support to achieve that. As I understand it the MOD has definitely already agreed to do more remedial work. If the community supports the bid by turning out to vote (that is all the electors in the PA28 6 area) that gives us a mandate to at least investigate the potential to take over and manage the airbase on behalf of the community for the benefit of the community. It does not mean that we would necessarily buy the airbase. If the feasibility plan at that stage (August 11th is the current deadline) does not suggest that we could operate the airbase sustainably then we would not bid to buy it. But we do need the whole community to support us in order to be able to progress towards being in a position to make the decision. The valuation and business plan will be made public soon - all information that we have will be made available to the community as part of the consultation phase prior to the ballot and we will arrange a public meeting where people can make their views known and ask questions

[Bobbie En Tejas]

To have a valuation so low on such a large site means that liabilities have been found to be colossal. We have heard figures of £20 million minimum - work needed on the runway, ground contamination, work needed on sewerage system, on the water system, none of the buildings having planning permission and crucially running costs of £1.3 million per year - on a care and maintenance basis only.

At the risk of being boo'd off the stage because I'm not a local, I am wondering how the community is going to be able to afford £20 million minimum and £1.3 million a year in maintenance, when they couldn't get £1.5 million together for a sports pitch that seems to be necessary for a community and very reasonable..

[4th gen Suthen']

To have a valuation so low on such a large site means that liabilities have been found to be colossal. We have heard figures of £20 million minimum - work needed on the runway, ground contamination, work needed on sewerage system, on the water system, none of the buildings having planning permission and crucially running costs of £1.3 million per year - on a care and maintenance basis only.

At the risk of being boo'd off the stage because I'm not a local, I am wondering how the community is going to be able to afford £20 million minimum and £1.3 million a year in maintenance, when they couldn't get £1.5 million together for a sports pitch that seems to be necessary for a community and very reasonable..

boooo!

[shipyard blues]

It will never happen,theyre living on cloud cuckoo land!!!

[zeus]

It will never happen,theyre living on cloud cuckoo land!!!

I agree with "shipyard blue "they certainly wont be getting my vote..

[zeus]

I was talking about the community buy out , cant see what possible benefits the community would get from this as the machrihanish airbase company so far have failed to produce anything remotely like a buisness plan , surely its not enough to just waffle on about "asset strippers" and about time to tell us the community where the money is coming from to cover the £20 million liabilities , I quote that figure as the buy group seemed trumpting that figure themselves .

[Mist Rolling In]

Bobbie En Tejas - I don't think anyone who has applied some thought to this is going to "Boo you off stage!"
You're quite right - this community struggles (as with every community) to fundraise and keep existing things going. We're stretched enough with our current priorities without buying a "Pig in a Poke," as I heard someone describe it recently.

Mary - glad to have some input from someone involved as hard factual information released to the community seems to be rather lacking. I see on the MACC website that there are plans afoot to have the ballot papers issued on the 13th May, returned on the 24th. I assume that in the next 9 days we - as the community MACC serves - will be provided with a barage real information, with the paperwork to back it up?!

I would rather see the MOD putting its money into troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, than this. The public sector (be it MOD, Scottish Government, The Council or HIE) should not be expected to sort out a £20m mess, simply because it seems like a bargain at £1. The group were asked at their recent AGM, what level of liability was considered "too much" and the question was very effictively dodged. Very disappointing that we don't yet have this information.

Zues - Couldn't agree with you more!! I don't respond well to threats and the scare-mongering re "asset strippers" and "loosing it from the community" make me laugh. What assets are there left there? Apparently a medical centre, a church, catering facilities for 400 ....do we actually need or want any of these? And what state of repair are they in anyhow after being on a "care and maintenance" status for years. I remember when the bowling ally was taken away - there is very little of value left on the site, so the "asset strippers" would have be looking for a needle in a haystack to find something to strip! As for the community retaining it ..... it was a military base, which opened it's big fences once in a blue moon to locals - never a community asset!

The group needs more than 1500 votes of yes, but total votes of 3000. Tempted as I am to put a big cross in the "no" box, I for one just won't respond as it seems that voting (either way) will just keep this joke running!

[John S]

In spite of what has been said about the efforts of the community buyout group, I think it is important that the community can exert influence on what happens to the base either in the hands of the public or the private sector. While I too have concerns about the lack of a business plan or even the buyout model - which leaves the community with all the risks, I think people should consider supporting the group’s efforts at least until the detail of their plans are known. At the end of the day, if a buyout is a realistic proposition, the community should have the last word in what goes on or does not.

[jowett63]

It is a shame to hear the sincere efforts of folk who are giving of their own time and endeavour to try and make positive changes being dismissed and mocked by doom merchants. Until more is known it is the better side of human nature to give people the benefit of the doubt. As to what assets are left, hundreds of acres of land by the sea in one of the most beautiful parts of the world is not to be sniffed, a hugely undermarketed working airport, revenue streams from Welcon, Machrihanish Dunes and the MOD who still use the base for everything from cadet activities to emergency landing. As to the future it does not take imagination to think of the leisure uses for the base - redundant runways can become roadways for karting and trackdays, The barracks are natural accomodation for outdoor training schools, YMCA type hostels etc, there are more workshops than you can shake a stick at and the potential for outdoor festivals is immense.

As for the £20m to clean the site up...if I fly tipped a load of oil and munitions on a greenfield site I could not really complain if the law caught up with me and made me pay to clean it up. All the Group are doing is asking the MOD to clean up their mess like they are doing at many other ex cold war sites in the south and east of England. The alternative is another decade of decay and atrophy. So lets give them a chance and be more supportive of people trying to do a good thing . There are enough rotten things in the world more deserving of our sarcasm and negativity.

[zeus]

Ok im sorry I misunderstood let me get this right the very generous people at the MOD are giving the base to the community for a £1 and they will underwrite the £20 MILLION liabilities come on now at least tell the folk the truth , the £1 valuation takes into account the liabilities hence it being a £1 so you buy it for a quid and you sort the problems out ,also another point the airport and runways are not part of this buy out as the MOD has already negotiated this with HIAL .

[kintyre56]

It is sad to see so much ill-founded pre-judgement and negativity! I see that the valuation report is now on the http://machrihanish.org website and my reading of it is that the liabilities are nothing like the previous figures quoted and are reducing. I think that when it comes to the vote, the electorate will support MACC's efforts. I gather that there is a business plan which shows that the airbase could break-even initially and soon begin to show a profit. This would be invested back into the community. In my opinion there is much for the community to gain from this proposal and everything to lose if this once only opportunity is missed.

[Nancie]

Is the meeting tonight open to the public?

[Nancie]

Is tonight's meeting advertised on the machrihanish.org site open to the public?