DFC and I agree on something at last !
Why should he pay someone to do what he has been doing for the last 14 years?
The answer is becuse you are going to be forced down the EASA road of having your aircraft maintained in a "controled enviroment" simply becuse the charges for going down the other route will be too high.
DFC the big question for you is how much money you are going to put into the EASA money pit? Do you get the CAA in each year and retain your independant position and pay the CAA's fees or do you get a part M to cover the work and get an ARC?
I can see that what I have been saying about this whole part M system is slowly dawning apon you, it is a pointless excersise in paperwork that add's nothing to flight safety and will increase costs to the aircraft owner. It can't be any other way the maintenance companys have to cover the cost of the extra paperwork or they will go out of business.
You of course can do the paperwork yourself but what of the CAA fees?
The bottom line is that you as an aircraft owner are between a rock and a hard place and it is not of the maintenance companys doing.