John Kinsman, Marine Editor, reports ...
Dismay as Sanda sold A Swiss businessman is thought to have paid around £2.5million for the small Island of Sanda, which has its own pub but only one resident, as well as the neighbouring Sheep Island and Glunimore Island, lying about 13 miles south of Campbeltown.
Written by Alison Prince
Thursday, 1 April 2010
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Dismay as Sanda sold
A Swiss businessman is thought to have paid around £2.5million for the small Island of Sanda, which has its own pub but only one resident, as well as the neighbouring Sheep Island and Glunimore Island, lying about 13 miles south of Campbeltown. There are now fears that all public access will be denied, though Sanda has long been a popular resort for people seeking a quiet retreat for some special occasion.
The sale was confirmed by Dick Gannon, who had owned the three islands for the past 20 years with his wife Meg. Mr Gannon said: ‘The Island is sold, close to the asking price, to a customer sent over by the Hamburg-based selling agents Vladi Private Islands. The new owner is taking over at the end of April. It’s a bit of a mystery what he is going to do but I hope it will go on as it is now, as a business, as a tourist destination.’
Sanda was had been on sale since August 2008. It was originally priced at £3.2million but dropped to offers around £2.5million.The buyer was named locally as Michi Meier, who is originally from Switzerland but now lives in Sweden. It appears that Mr Meier intends to turn Sanda into a private 'millionaire's playground', as applications from would-be visitors are being turned down.
Brussels Meeting
Scotland’s Fisheries Minister, Richard Lochhead, had his first meeting with Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner Maria Damanaki in Brussels.
Speaking on the return from the talks, Mr Lochhead said: ‘It was important to meet the Commissioner to explain the importance of fishing to Scotland, highlight our strong views on the broken Common Fisheries Policy, and set out our proactive ideas for change. Even through the Commissioner says she is constrained by European treaties, she voiced enthusiasm for radical change in EU fisheries policy and is genuinely interested in Scotland’s part in providing solutions.’ Mr Lochhead continued, ‘We discussed the issues faced by the West of Scotland, the need for a level playing field and other pressing issues. Of course we could do so much more for our fishermen if we had our own voice in Europe, which is why we hope to give the people of Scotland their say on the constitutional future by introducing a Referendum Bill later this year.’
The Scottish Government published its response to the green paper on Common Fisheries Policy reform in December 2009.
More details are available at www.scotland.gov.uk/Topic/marine/Fisheries/SeaFisheries/17681/common-fisheries-policy.
Farewell to Nimrod
On Friday March 26, at a moving ceremony at RAF Kinloss, service personnel and their families said a sad farewell to the Nimrod MR aircraft, which has protected UK shores, served in every conflict and saved lives in sea disasters for over 40 years. The fleet of 11 planes will now be grounded, though the new Nimrod MRA4 replacement has been delayed until 2012. The five Nimrod aircraft will be sent to museums in England.
Friday’s ceremony was complete with a touching eulogy delivered by a serviceman who notched up 12,000 flying hours in the famous aircraft. Flt Lt Billy Speight paid tribute to the many roles it played through out the decades, and particularly mentioned its role as cover for the Piper Alfa Disaster when it was in the air for 24 hours. He honoured the servicemen who had lost their lives during the life of the aircraft, and said shelving it spelled the end of the Nimrod Line Squadron — and also the demise of the Maritime air engineer. RAF Kinloss flight engineer Mark Fellows agreed, saying he was now a ‘dying breed’. Now that his expertise is surplus to requirements, he has been posted to Nimrod MRA4 research and development.
The ceremony included a flyover by two Nimrods. As The Voice correspondent, I was privileged to watch that event, and as the two aircraft flew out of sight after roaring across the grey sky, I felt very emotional that I will not see them again. Farewell ‘Mighty Hunters.’
Body in Harbour
The body of a man was recovered from the water in Oban Harbour just after 11am on Sunday March 28. The town’s lifeboat crew were called out after the body was spotted floating near the lifeboat berth, and used the lifeboat’s inflatable X boat to recover the body.
A police spokesman said they are carrying investigations to establish the man’s the identity.
Thursday, 1 April 2010
116 views 0 commentsDismay as Sanda sold
A Swiss businessman is thought to have paid around £2.5million for the small Island of Sanda, which has its own pub but only one resident, as well as the neighbouring Sheep Island and Glunimore Island, lying about 13 miles south of Campbeltown. There are now fears that all public access will be denied, though Sanda has long been a popular resort for people seeking a quiet retreat for some special occasion.
The sale was confirmed by Dick Gannon, who had owned the three islands for the past 20 years with his wife Meg. Mr Gannon said: ‘The Island is sold, close to the asking price, to a customer sent over by the Hamburg-based selling agents Vladi Private Islands. The new owner is taking over at the end of April. It’s a bit of a mystery what he is going to do but I hope it will go on as it is now, as a business, as a tourist destination.’
Sanda was had been on sale since August 2008. It was originally priced at £3.2million but dropped to offers around £2.5million.The buyer was named locally as Michi Meier, who is originally from Switzerland but now lives in Sweden. It appears that Mr Meier intends to turn Sanda into a private 'millionaire's playground', as applications from would-be visitors are being turned down.
Brussels Meeting
Scotland’s Fisheries Minister, Richard Lochhead, had his first meeting with Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner Maria Damanaki in Brussels.
Speaking on the return from the talks, Mr Lochhead said: ‘It was important to meet the Commissioner to explain the importance of fishing to Scotland, highlight our strong views on the broken Common Fisheries Policy, and set out our proactive ideas for change. Even through the Commissioner says she is constrained by European treaties, she voiced enthusiasm for radical change in EU fisheries policy and is genuinely interested in Scotland’s part in providing solutions.’ Mr Lochhead continued, ‘We discussed the issues faced by the West of Scotland, the need for a level playing field and other pressing issues. Of course we could do so much more for our fishermen if we had our own voice in Europe, which is why we hope to give the people of Scotland their say on the constitutional future by introducing a Referendum Bill later this year.’
The Scottish Government published its response to the green paper on Common Fisheries Policy reform in December 2009.
More details are available at www.scotland.gov.uk/Topic/marine/Fisheries/SeaFisheries/17681/common-fisheries-policy.
Farewell to Nimrod
On Friday March 26, at a moving ceremony at RAF Kinloss, service personnel and their families said a sad farewell to the Nimrod MR aircraft, which has protected UK shores, served in every conflict and saved lives in sea disasters for over 40 years. The fleet of 11 planes will now be grounded, though the new Nimrod MRA4 replacement has been delayed until 2012. The five Nimrod aircraft will be sent to museums in England.
Friday’s ceremony was complete with a touching eulogy delivered by a serviceman who notched up 12,000 flying hours in the famous aircraft. Flt Lt Billy Speight paid tribute to the many roles it played through out the decades, and particularly mentioned its role as cover for the Piper Alfa Disaster when it was in the air for 24 hours. He honoured the servicemen who had lost their lives during the life of the aircraft, and said shelving it spelled the end of the Nimrod Line Squadron — and also the demise of the Maritime air engineer. RAF Kinloss flight engineer Mark Fellows agreed, saying he was now a ‘dying breed’. Now that his expertise is surplus to requirements, he has been posted to Nimrod MRA4 research and development.
The ceremony included a flyover by two Nimrods. As The Voice correspondent, I was privileged to watch that event, and as the two aircraft flew out of sight after roaring across the grey sky, I felt very emotional that I will not see them again. Farewell ‘Mighty Hunters.’
Body in Harbour
The body of a man was recovered from the water in Oban Harbour just after 11am on Sunday March 28. The town’s lifeboat crew were called out after the body was spotted floating near the lifeboat berth, and used the lifeboat’s inflatable X boat to recover the body.
A police spokesman said they are carrying investigations to establish the man’s the identity.
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