Machrihanish I
Scottish Ministers gave notice on Wednesday 11 August of their refusal to consent to the application by the Machrihanish Airbase Community Company to acquire the redundant Machrihanish airbase in Argyll. In a long and detailed Refusal Notice, Ministers explain their grounds for refusal. I make no comment on whether this decision is right or wrong but it does emphasise once again the complexity of Part 2 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act and the role of civil servants in detailed scrutiny of applications. 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.
For Argyll, the online newspaper provides a useful background to this story. [broken link Feb 2024]
What a load of red tape in the Refusal Notice. A person on the voters roll who is balloted is not going to change his/her decision on the way they vote by receiving the ballot documents either 1 day early or one day late. Bureaucracy gone mad here!!!!