Future for Kinloss

23 November 2010

While the timescales remain uncertain it seems clear the RAF will withdraw from Kinloss, and after 70 years this represents a significant blow to the community, the businesses in the area and the personnel serving on the bases.

The UK Government has intimated an interest in retaining a military footprint in Moray, in particular Liam Fox, Secretary of State for Defence, has raised as an option the prospect of basing battalions returning in 2015 from Germany.

Scottish Government officials and members of the Moray task force are meeting today to explore various options which may be possible for future use of the base. By exploring the benefits and implications, the task force hopes to identify how best to develop the assets the base offers to ensure the area remains attractive for local people to live and work in.

This is not the first time that RAF rationalisation has threatened the region's economy. In 2005, a similar threat resulted in the formation of Moray 2020, a strategy devised and endorsed by all the public sector in Moray.

This strategy outlined around 55 actions, the majority of which have been delivered. Infrastructure such as Enterprise Park Forres and the creation of Moray Tourism Development group are products of that previous diversification work.

Full scale RAF withdrawal did not materialise in 2005, and whilst the Moray 2020 strategy delivered many benefits, there is broad support for a refreshed strategy to address the reality now facing Moray. Preparatory work is underway.