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Could anyone, other than a Community, buy an excellent
nine hole course for £31,100?
James Irvine
Teviot Scientific, Cultybraggan Farm, Comrie,
Perthshire
Filed 07 Sep 07
©www.land0care.org.uk
The Defence Estates wish to dispose of ground
in Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides that they no longer require.
The ground is currently used by Benbecula Golf Club. So the Club
formed a Community Interest Company and registered an interest in
buying the land with the Scottish Executive, in accordance with
the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
Now it is up to the almost 900 residents of Benbecula
to gain community support for the purchase.
The land has been valued by the Scottish Executive
appointed District Valuer at £31,100.
That means that, if each resident paid their share,
the cost per head to buy it outright would be £34.56p.
Benbecula golf course is a naturally flat course.
As a result of its
good condition, it is a popular haunt for visiting golfers who are
seeking a game in slightly different surroundings
Reference to the Benbecula Golf Club website shows
that it justifies its claims to be an excellent nine hole course,
greatly appreciated by visitors and locals alike. Reference to the
Scottish Executive's records informs that the land in question is
adjacent to the airport and to the centre of community life in Benbecula.
The land includes some disused runway.
Situated right beside Benbecula Air Strip, the
golf course
is minutes away from Balivanich, the social and
administrative centre for the Uists
One wonders what this land might have sold for
had it been allowed to go on the open market.
The seller is the Defence Estates: in other words,
the taxpayer. The seller is stated to be content with the valuation.
But should they be?
Land-Care has asked the Scottish Executive for
a breakdown of how the valuation was achieved.
While everyone would like to wish the good folk
of Benbecula well in their venture, the question has to be asked
if the valuations set by government appointed officials are realistic,
or in connection with government owned properties appear to be seriously
undervalued at the cost of the general taxpayer? That, of course,
would not be proper in terms of what is laid down in Community Right
to Buy Legislation.
Also of interest is the fact that there appears
to be no restriction on the future use of the land in terms of it
having to continue as a golf course, nor any indication that Land-Care
is aware of in terms of planning constraints. Who knows, with some
disused runway, it might get classified as "brown field"
site.
The situation seems uncomfortably similar to Comrie
Development Trust who were given the opportunity, under the same
Community Right to Buy Legislation, of buying Cultybraggan Army
Camp (also described as "brown field" site) at a knock
down price of £350.000 from the same seller, Defence Estates
(1). Just a few months later the
residents of Comrie were being told that, just disposing of two
acres (out of the total of 90) as serviced housing plots (without
any change in planning guidelines, but the involving the provision
of spetic tanks) plus an unused cottage, would net 2-3 times the
total asking price
There seems to be something not quite right
somewhere. It would appear that taxpayers' money may being used
to fund political policies in a manner that cannot be described
as transparent.
©www.land-care.org.uk
References
Irvine, James (2007). So,
Comrie Development Trust Ltd is set to take possession of Cultybraggan
Army Camp in a couple of days
See SOCIAL/ECONOMIC/PO:ITICAL Homepage, filed 05 Sep 07,
www.land-care.org.uk Click
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