Diary of Events

DIARY OF EVENTS

DIARY OF EVENTS

What have we been doing since starting in March 2008?

  • 20 February 2008 - Future uncertain – agreed to set up a preliminary meeting to consider situation.
  • 01 March 2008 - First meeting at Ian’s house with seven interested persons – agreed to proceed.
  • 29 April 2008 - Meeting at DE Machrihanish – 8 present – considered how to do it. Satisfy OSCR, SEERAD, HIE, Co Act.
  • 30 April 2008 - Web site commissioned.
  • 19 - 30 May 2008 - Research & construct Memorandum & Articles of Association.
  • 06 June 2008 - Met with Mrs Gallacher of C&D Mactaggart solicitors to engage them as our lawyers – advised to go it alone (little finance).
  • 13 June 2008 - Meeting with Alan Reid MP.
  • 17 June 2008 - Meeting at DE Machrihanish - £1k secured.
  • 25 June 2008 - Submitted draft Memorandum & Articles of association to OSCR and SEERAD.
  • 01 July 2008 - Received approval of Memorandum & Articles of Association from OSCR.
  • 09 July 2008 – Received approval of Memorandum and Articles of Association from SEERAD legal department with minor remarks, happy to proceed.
  • 15 July 2008 - Meeting at DE Machrihanish – site visit by others.
  • 29 July 2008 - Instructed C&D Mactaggart to incorporate company.
  • 31 July 2008 - Meeting with Jim Mather MSP.
  • 19 August 2008 - Meeting with Colin Gray/Yvonne Davidson of Community Assets Branch - Bellochantuy.
  • 22 August 2008 - Letter of content form Rural Communities Division.
  • 22 August 2008 - Letter from C&D Mactaggart & Oswalds requiring additional forms for incorporation.
  • 26 August 2008 - Forms complete and returned to C&D Mactaggart.
  • 02 September 2008 - Phone from C&D Mactaggart(Mrs Gallacher) requiring further details & electronic copy.
  • 03 September 2008 - Meeting with Brian Keating.
  • 11 September 2008 – Received letter of registration of company from Oswalds, via C&D Mactaggart.
  • 07 October 2008 - Meeting of incorporation & election of Directors held in DE office.
  • 28 October 2008 - First Board meeting, held at Heritage centre.
  • 04 November 2008 - Committee meeting, held at Heritage centre.
  • 10 December 2008 – Directors & company members meet in Town hall with 3 local councillors, D Kelly, R Colville and J Semple to inform them of our group and our aspiration for the ex RAF Machrihanish base.
  • 14 January 2009 - Board meeting (Ians’ house) Prelim advertising material.
  • 16 January 2009 - London meeting with Morgan – est.
  • 21 January 2009 – Company meeting. Board meeting in guide hall to make up leaflets and membership forms to inform public of our group and our aims. Board photo.
  • 19 February 2009 - Spoke at Rotary re distribution of leaflets.
  • 20 February 2009 - Rotary Group Argyll Hotel to organise routes & names. Brass band to fill in.
  • 21 February 2009 - Volunteers meet Argyll Hotel 2pm supply leaflets.
  • 21 February 2009 – Rotary Group distributes leaflets and membership forms round doors in PA28 6 area of Kintyre.
  • 26 February 2009 - Supply 1000 inserts to above at Rotary.
  • 04 March 2009 – Public meeting in Lorne & Lowland Church to inform public of our groups aspirations for the ex RAF Machrihanish base.
  • 05 March 2009 - Met Colin Gray in office.
  • 10 March 2009 - Board meeting in Guide hall – wash up after public meeting.
  • 24 March 2009 - Board meeting in Guide hall – new Directors.
  • 03 April 2009 - Meeting Alan Reid MP - Ardshiel Hotel (Ray, Rory, Ian and Don).
  • 15 April 2009 - Board meeting Guide hall (closed) adjourn to Ians’ house.
  • 05 May 2009 - Board meeting Guide hall.
  • 09 May 2009 – Submitted application to register an Interest in the ex RAF Machrihanish base with, at that time, support from approximately 13% of the public. (First submission).
  • 15 May 2009 – Application submission returned for more questions to be answered and information required.
  • 22 May 2009 - Meeting with MEP Struan Stevenson.
  • 01 June 2009 – Re-submitted application to register an interest. (Second submission).
  • 08 June 2009 - Received reply form above – now late registration.
  • 12 June 2009 - Re-submitted application for registration.
  • 15 June 2009 - Informed new/revised application form effective as of today.
  • 15 June 2009 – Returned application submission for the second time. This time we were informed that there were new forms to complete and, that now we were a late submission and would require answering additional questions and increasing our public support from 13%.
  • 15 June 2009 to 22 December 2009 – After some hundreds of hours working on completing the new forms and collating the information to resubmit our register of interest we also had to go out and canvas more support from the public taking us up from 13% to 17% of the voting public within PA28 6 area of Kintyre.
  • 21 December 2009 - Visit from Colin Gray. Discussed re-submission of application.
  • 22 December 2009 – Submitted application to register an interest. (Third time).
  • 11 January 2010 – Received letter from Scottish Government Rural Directorate that the application was acceptable and would be submitted to MOD Defence Estates for comment and then submitted to the Scottish Government ministers for their approval.
  • 12 January 2010 - Received copy letter Rural Directorate to MoD seeking views on registration of interest.
  • 18 January 2010 – Copy of letter from MOD Defence Estates to Scottish Government Rural Directorate informing them that they have no objection in principle to the application from MACC.
  • 26 January 2010 - Board meeting in Guide hall – arrange AGM.
  • 11 February 2010 – Notice of acceptance of our application from the Scottish Government Ministers - it has now been registered as Case number CB00112.
  • 12 February 2010 - Meeting with Alan Reid (with Ray McIntosh Walley) & notice of AGM in Courier.
  • 13 February 2010 - Received letter of approval of registration.
  • 05 March 2010 - AGM.
  • 09 March 2010 - Meeting with Roger Gawn, Andy offer etc.
  • 23 March 2010 - Meeting with Robert Pollock at Kilmory.
  • 10 April 2010 - Valuer on site.
  • 28 April 2010 - MACC received the Valuation at 11.30am (Wed) - the airbase has been valued at £1.
  • 05 May 2010 - Presentation by Alan Caldwell of DTAS on "The Comrie Development Trust's Successful Acquisition and Development of Cultybraggan", followed by a general discussion on the future of Machrihanish Airbase.
  • 10 May 2010 - Directors meeting to arrange ballot (SHQ) posters.
  • 12 May 2010 (Wednesday) - Public Meeting at 7.30 in Victoria Hall. This was well attended and very positive. Tom Millar gave an excellent presentation and said a little about the future plans for the airbase. There were a number of questions from the floor and the meeting ended on a high note with support expressed by Argyll's newly re-elected Westminster MP Alan Reid who undertook to take up our cause in Westminster. Support was also expressed by the three local Councillors, Donald Kelly, John Semple and Rory Colville. At the end of the meeting 37 volunteers added their details to a list of people to help with the ballot.
  • 13 May to 24 May 2010 - Community Ballot - we need a turnout of at least 50% of the voters in PA28 6 and of those over 50% must vote in favour of the community's bid to buy the base for £1.
  • 14 May 2010 - Ballot papers issued.
  • 17 May 2010 (Monday) - Ballot papers start being received by households. Why Vote?
  • 21 May 2010 (Friday) - Open Forum for all interested parties involved in buyout, at the Burnet Building, Campbeltown.
  • 21 May 2010 - Meeting of invited parties (Burnet Building).
  • 21 May 2010 - Open Forum attracts support of elected representatives.
  • 24 May 2010 (Monday) - Deadline for return of Ballot Papers, which could be posted into a sealed Ballot Box in the Burnet Building, Campbeltown or in Jim Martin Supplies, Longrow, Campbeltown.
  • 25 May 2010 - Ballot paper count – Burnet Building.
  • 25 May 2010 - Result of Community Ballot is a massive "Yes".
  • 26 May 2010 - Result of ballot reported.
  • 27 May 2010 - Directors Business case workshop in SHQ.
  • 01 June 2010 - Tender for consultant on website.
  • 13 June 2010 - Tender board - short list determined.
  • 16 June 2010 - Interviews of tender short list.
  • 17 June 2010 - Report on tender board.
  • 22 June 2010 - Directors meeting.
  • 01 July 2010 - First meeting with Business Plan Consultants (DTZ).
  • 06 July 2010 - Meeting with DTZ.
  • 14 July 2010 - Directors meet in Glasgow with Scottish Government, DTZ, Defence Estates, Highland & Islands Enterprise and Argyll & Bute Council.
  • 21 July 2010 - Directors meeting – Land use plan.
  • 26 July 2010 - Directors meet Jim Mather.
  • 27 July 2010 - Open meeting in Town Hall.
  • 04 August 2010 - Directors meeting.
  • 11 August 2010 - Ballot extinguished by Scottish Government.
  • 12 August 2010 - Directors meeting.
  • 17 August 2010 - Directors meeting.
  • 23 August 2010 - Meeting with Annabel Goldie & Jamie McGrigor.
  • 24 August 2010 - DTZ workshop.
  • 26 August 2010 - Directors meeting.
  • 31 August 2010 - Directors meeting.
  • 07 September 2010 - Directors meeting.
  • 14 September 2010 - Directors meeting.
  • 15 September 2010 - Directors meet with Argyll & Bute Council in Kilmory.
  • 21 September 2010 - Directors meeting minute of Kilmory meeting.
  • 05 October 2010 - Directors meeting.
  • 08 October 2010 - Conference in Glasgow with Directors, Defence Estates, Argyll & Bute council, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, DTZ and legal team.
  • 13 October 2010 - Directors meet with area councillors.
  • 02 November 2010 - Directors meeting.
  • 11 November 2010 - Meeting with DTZ, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Scottish Government & Argyll & Bute Council.
  • 20 November 2010 - Received notification of £1 value.
  • 23 November 2010 - Directors meet to consider ballot.
  • 30 November 2010 - Public meeting in Victoria hall with DTZ.
  • 03 December 2010 - Posting of 2nd ballot papers.
  • 03 December 2010 - Completion of final Business Plan.
  • 17 December 2010 - Result of 2nd ballot. 95% in favour of buyout. Hundreds of votes delayed in post, missing the deadline.
  • 16 June 2011 - EGM to discuss proposed amendments to the Memorandum & Articles. Red Cross Hall, Kirk St, Campbeltown - 7:30pm

From start of our company on 1st March 2008 to date we have had regular meetings and kept up to date by email the following politicians, who are in full support of our endeavours to rejuvenate the ex RAF Machrihanish base.

  • Jim Mather MSP Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism.
  • George Lyon MEP.
  • Struan Stevenson MEP.
  • Jamie McGrigor MSP.
  • Alan Reid MP.
  • Donald Kelly Local Councillor.
  • Rory Colville Local Councillor.

From the start of our company we have also been in dialogue with

  • MOD Defence Estates.
  • Argyll & Bute Council.
  • Scottish Charity Regulator.
  • HIE Community Land Unit.
  • Machrihanish Dunes Golf Club.
  • Welcon Windmill Factory.
  • Highland & Islands Airports Ltd.

To name but a few of all the companies and bodies involved in the Kintyre area.