Oban Argyll Aero Club Press Statement 30 June 2009
The Argyll Aero Club (AAC) is astonished by the recent outburst from Councilor Walsh of Argyll & Bute Council regarding the legitimate fencing for operational reasons of a part the club’s leased area at Oban Airport. He has been ill informed and ill advised to make such patently false and inaccurate statements.
To attempt to deliberately mislead the public about ambulance flights is reprehensible. An enquiry by the club to the providers of the air ambulance services to the Oban area has confirmed that there is no reduction in air ambulance service provision due to any action by the club. Councilor Walsh is further asked to name any operator whose use of the airport has been put in jeopardy.
That the leader of the council should now suggest they will take legal action against the club for normal use of their leased area is nonsense. He should by now know that ABC is not above or beyond the rule of the law.
The AAC has leased an area at the airport since 1995 and have been model tenants spending our own money to enhance facilities for both local and visiting pilots. Our activities have brought nothing but widespread acknowledged credit to the club and the airport.
When the council decided to license the airport they required a part of the club’s leased area in order to comply with Civil Aviation Authority regulations. Instead of trying to resolve that situation by discussion, senior officials within the council provided misleading information to the CAA in order to obtain a license for the airport. It is a criminal offence to provide false details on an airport license application form.
It is this deception that has now come back to haunt the council and it is understood that the CAA is now looking into the license application process.
Over the last 2 years the council have continually harassed and bullied the club in order to move us off the airport and gain control of our ground. This bullying included the illegal destruction in the middle of the night of some 20 trees planted by the club 12 years previously to screen and protect our purpose built aircraft hangar. Officials also ordered the fencing-off of our boundaries in order to restrict the clubs use of our leased area and have used our area as a dumping ground in order to restrict our activities. All of this was undertaken despite the council being informed by the club and their lawyers that they had no right to interfere with, or enter, the leased area.
The club had no other alternative but to resort to the courts to allow us to continue our legitimate occupation and use of our land. The court has entirely supported the club’s position and the council has now to pay the club compensation and our legal costs. In addition the Council have been forced to give the court a solemn undertaking not to enter into the area. Despite this, the council’s latest tactic to coerce the club into quitting, is to attempt to raise our rent by 6 fold and backdate it for 2 years.
The Argyll Aero Club calls upon Councilor Walsh to fully investigate and make public his findings on this disgraceful affair and rid the council of the culture of bullying and deception.
The Argyll Aero Club
30 June 2009