THE FORMER RAF Machrihanish base is up for sale at long last and along with it goes the hope for a massive injection of life into the economy of Kintyre.
In his first day in the job as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Defence, Kevan Jones MP signed the necessary paperwork to set the sale in motion. The base officially closed in 2000.
‘It is our intention that the termination of employment and maintenance contracts will be handled sensitively,’ promised a Ministry of Defence (MoD) statement. Defence Estates expects to complete the sale of site within the next 12 months.
Jim Mather MSP for Argyll and Bute said he saw the sale as an opportunity to safeguard existing jobs and open up the opportunity for renewal for Kintyre.
Confirmation
‘The news that the Machrihanish site is to be sold does not come as a great surprise but is nevertheless a welcome confirmation as it creates the opportunity to have more local assets used to boost the economy and job prospects,’ said Mr Mather.
There is currently one MoD employee at Machrihanish and 19 contractors who provide security, maintenance and management. The site itself covers a massive 1,028 acres and is home to the longest runway in Europe which stretches for 3km and with it comes hangers, jet fuel installations, offices, lots of living accommodation, sports facilities and numerous other buildings.
Alan Reid MP for Argyll and Bute said: ‘It must not be sold off to an asset stripper. Kintyre is already threatened with the loss of more than 90 jobs at Vestas.
Maximum Benefit
The development potential of the Machrihanish site must be seized to create employment. The Ministry of Defence, the Scottish Government and Argyll and Bute Council must work together to ensure that the site is developed to secure the maximum benefit to the Kintyre community and to ensure that the potential of the site is developed to create more jobs, not simply result in 20 being lost.’
Ian Hay, in charge of disposing of defence land said that the civilian air service was secure and that the MoD and Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd had been in lengthy discussions.
‘The future of Campbeltown Airport has been at the forefront of our discussions and options were considered by all those involved to safeguard the airport’s future,’ he said.
Councillor Donald Kelly said: ‘Any withdrawal should take place gradually, over a number of years, to ensure all current issues associated with the base are resolved and that the assets are utilised in the best interests of the community in order to attract new and sustainable businesses to the area.’
His fellow councillors agreed that it was a good opportunity.
‘We’ve been sitting back and waiting for 10 years and to some extent it’s a relief that we can now forward,’ said Councillor Rory Colville. Any sale must ensure that the base and its infrastructure were ‘secure and sustainable’, he added.
Unrealised Asset
Councillor John Semple who chairs the Kintyre Initiative Working Group said: ‘This is not before time, the base is an unrealised asset for the area and we can now make plans to attract some form of sustainable development to the area.’
Frank Strang, of Military Asset management Ltd, the firm that successfully bought RAF Buchan and Saxa Vord has shown an interest in Machrihanish in the past; he would neither confirm of deny his firm would be interested in buying the base.
‘I’ve always had a soft spot for Machrihanish; we spent a lot of time and money looking over the site.
Investment
‘The problem is that it is going to take an awful lot of time and effort and investment to make Machrihanish work; it is quite a complicated puzzle.’ He added that getting the private sector involved in the middle of the present credit crisis might be difficult.
‘If the base had been sold five years ago it would have been rocking,’ he said. ‘Experience has shown us that bases need to be sold off sooner rather than later. Once you mothball them they deteriorate quite rapidly. But if you can get the right people in the right room then you’ve got a future for Machrihanish. The place has masses of potential.’
There will be a meeting on October 27 between local and national government other interested parties and the work force at the base.
