Exclusively For Sale
Former RAF Balado Satellite Station
AERO SPACE KINROSS ~ “PLAN B” OPTION
Golf Ball Radome & Acres of Land: £473,000
This page is an effort to help Aero Space Kinross achieve their proposal for the former RAF Balado site by making ample buildings and land available at a sale figure that is much more in harmony with the charity fundraising efforts. After 4 years, the most recent of this buyer’s hard work started in 2023 with a respectable £35,500 (click here) and quickly grew to the current amount of: £250,361 (click here).
We have also had to work at our own established charity fundraising (here and here) and recognise how difficult it can be. So a little help from the Balado site owners to the Aero Space Kinross charity might be an idea, hence our Plan B solution…
^^ Former RAF Balado Bridge ^^
^^ Balado, Kinross, KY13 0NJ ^^
Our revised “Plan B” proposal is, of course, not a perfect solution for this one particular buyer. But a logjam over the past 4 years of negotiations needs to be remedied. This is the fairest way of doing so, other than ending negotiations altogether.
The site owner (seller) wishes to make best efforts to accommodate a potential buyer. One who has gone to a lot of effort forming and registering a charity (click here). There has been a significant amount of publicity, so it is important for the sake of openness that the seller addresses their official position on this matter as the owner….
=> The seller has been in negotiations with the good people working to get Aero Space Kinross off of the ground for a number of years.
Unfortunately, in spite of a lot of hard work and a long series of negotiations, no sale for the Balado site has been completed. The seller is concerned about the lost jobs and strain of maintaining an empty site for many more years. His other sites across a life-time bringing disused buildings back to life and helping newstart businesses plus creating employment has a provided 203 new jobs to date.
Our group effort exceeds…
381 New Jobs Created.
It would be nice to retire with an extra 19 jobs at Balado to round that number up to 400 new jobs created over a lifetime.
So the seller of Balado and owners of Unique Property Bulletin Ltd., would like to help Aero Space Kinross to get a lift off to succeed, literally…
^^ Example: San Diego Aero Space Museum in America ^^
This genre of aero space educational centre is an incredibly inspirational facility. They also mean the site at Balado would be brought back into meaningful use with new jobs and amenities created.
=> This proposed “Plan B” would result in an estimated 20 new jobs at the Aero Space Centre plus related amenities and a further 20 jobs at the rest of the site.
=> These 40 new jobs could, should and would have been created locally at the Balado site five years ago. But the former RAF base has lain empty for too long now. The empty-premise costs are significant: vacant NDR rates + insurance + security + maintenance.
=> The trustees at Aero Space Kinross have made a magnificent job in getting their concept brought into reality (click here).
=> Frankly the grant-awarding body needs to get a move on, as that is what looks to be causing existential difficulties to the charity. So in the absence of anyone writing actual grant cheques to the Aero Space Kinross charity, the owner at Balado is making best effort to assist in keeping the charity’s admirable effort alive.
The owner of this RAF Balado site is now relaunching the sale in Springtime 2023 to get the jobs created + bring the site back into meaningful use. The owner is also wishing to properly retire (this part is well overdue).
Instead of just saying “thanks but no thanks” to the prolonged negotiations with Aero Space Kinross (here), the seller, is suggesting a constructive solution.
That the iconic Radome (golf ball structure) + parking + a large area of BROWNFIELD development land for the NEWBUILD VISITOR CENTRE is made available at a lower more affordable price to Aero Space Kinross. The areas that are capable of being submitted to HM Land Registry and the Registers of Scotland for Aero Space Kinross to launch their project, are outlined in red ink (in draft form) at lots: “3” + “3a”+ “9”…
^^ Potential Aero Space Kinross Charity Solution ^^
Golf Ball: Radome (Site #3) + Connecting Land + Parking (Site #3a)
+ Large Brownfield Piece of Building Land (Site #9).
A GOOD ARCHITECT COULD RUSTLE UP QUITE AN AWESOME
NEWBUILD SPACE CENTRE FOR SITE #9…
Here is an example of the style of building that is the highly successful San Diego Aero Space Visitor Centre…
=> This is approximately half the site for significantly less than half the price of the former RAF Balado radar satellite station.
=> In ADDITION to this recent £250,000 a further of £223,000 to guarantee the future wishes of Aero Space Kinross.
=> If Aero Space Kinross can lock-down their ownership of the Balado Radome and the valuable satellite tracking machinery inside, plus an ideal area to build a Visitor Centre, then the “stuck” £1,500,000 will eventualy be released with some bureaucratic laxative?
=> Surely that £1,500,000 can be deployed in BUILDING the actual visitor centre at some point in the future when the £1,500,000 becomes “unstuck?”=> Better still PLEASE let the Aero Space Kinross charity draw down £273,000 of that £1,500,000 so that they can COMPLETE the PURCHASE of the Balado Radome + Satellite Machinery + Visitor Centre brownfield building land NOW and avoid losing it after the 4 year delay?=> £273,000 is ONLY 17% of the grant award. JUST SEVENTEEN PERCENT to buy all the land needed! Surely that is little money to guarantee the future of this well founded project?
=> Russ McLean does NOT wish to cause discomfort for anyone, but to lose the work put in by the Aero Space Kinross Trustees and lose the 19 to 20 new jobs, plus lose a marvellous local amenity of the proposed Aero Space Kinross Visitor Centre would be tragic.
^^ Potential Aero Space Kinross Charity Solution ^^
^^ Landbanking Is Viable Now ^^
Added To Site # 9 Includes…
Golf Ball: Radome (Site #3) + Connecting Land (Site #3a)
This next photograph is for guidance purposes to illustrate that a significant amount of the former Radar Station can be parcelled-up for the Aero Space Centre.
Please Note: The HM Land Registry Title Deeds may vary slightly according to the cadastral cartographic statutes etc…
^^ Potential Aero Space Kinross Charity Solution ^^
Radome (Golf Ball) + Connecting Land
+ Large Brownfield Construction Site.
Approximately 2.87 Acres.
The oblique aerial photo guides above are not ideal. We are sending a drone pilot across to Balado for fresher high-definition photos and will update this page as soon as we are able. Though we need to be absolutely sure of safety protocols to keep the light-aircraft and gliders from the flying club safe (and the drone pilot legal)!
^^ Click On The Photo Above To See The Video ^^
After several years of charity “almost” managing to buy this large site, the owner is now retired and time is almost ended for the grace period that has been extended to the charity for the past few years.
The site owner has supported other charities and in fact this website has established two charities. So the owner very much understands the frustration of the Aero Space Kinross trustees.
=> Hence the owner of Balado is still keen to help the Aero Space Kinross endeavour in whatever viable way is possible.
In one final effort to help the Aero Space Kinross charity, the owner of Balado is happy to discuss selling Lot 3 (Radome +Land) and Lot 3a (Land + Access) to: Lot 9 (large brownfield site)…
^^ Radome (Golf Ball) Site #3 + Site #3a ^^
(£99,000 + £75,000).
This will join up to Site #9 and
include access road servitude rights to…
^^ Former RAF Balado Bridge, Balado, Kinross, KY13 0NJ ^^
Brownfield Site #9 at £299,000.
Sub-total: £99,000 + £75,000 + £299,000.
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Total ~ Plan B: £473,000.
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Landbanking
To Secure Charity Land Foundations
The aim of the owner’s of Balado is to remove a significant amount of concern about losing this site to an alternate buyer.
Many other owners would have applied to build 150 new homes on this brownfield site and take a major profit.
=> For anyone doing their due-diligence, there are ample links on this page and related websites/official documents to indicate the owners are genuinely and pro-actively minded to support the Aero Space Kinross charity.
Consequently, the owner’s of the Balado site trust folk will understand the principles that underwrite the “Plan B” effort to find an irrevocable, guaranteed solution that secures the Radome and sufficient Brownfield development land to build a new Aerospace Visitor Centre on that land.
=> This is aimed at being a pragmatic way forward.
^^ Former RAF Balado Bridge ^^
^^ Balado, Kinross, KY13 0NJ ^^
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Brownfield Site Advisories
The suggestion would be for the charity to deploy their 7 figure grant that appears “stuck” and utilise it with a state-of-the-art bespoke NEWBUILD VISITOR CENTRE on the 2 acre parcel of land marked “Site #9” on the plan excerpts segment of this page. The general guidance regarding planning permission can be studied at the…
Scottish Government
Website & Publication Regarding “Brownfield Land”
Scottish Government Advice Relating To “Brownfield Land”..
Click Here
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Substantial Part of The Site
Rather than politely decline to wait for a further extended period of time, the owner trusts that this effort to accommodate their imaginative Aero Space Kinross initiative is a reasonable way of helping make it viable and possible. As opposed to the polite ending of the grace-period that has already gone on for an unfortunately long period of time. Perhaps a polite letter to the grantawarding authority to let them know this is the last opportunity to launch this idea and “unlock” the stubbornly locked funds.
The and includes the iconic Radome…
^^ Former RAF Balado Bridge, Balado, Kinross, KY13 0NJ ^^
In total, there is approximately 2.38 acres of land upon which to deploy the funds the Aero Space Kinross team have advised is available. This suggestion accommodates the apparent staccato way in which the funds are to be made available.
^^ Former RAF Balado Bridge, Balado, Kinross, KY13 0NJ ^^
The three significant Lots that are being reserved at this time should enable the charity to own what they need and regain the grace of a further 2 to 4 years to remedy their remaining fundraising efforts that can be put into a bespoke, modern, disability compliant and purpose-built Visitor Centre
The way proposed on this page would mean the charity would actually own the iconic “golf ball” structure and sufficient “brownfield” land upon which to build a a Visitor Centre that fits well within their plans.
^^ Educating The Next Generation ^^
Artwork Source: Click Here
Hopefully, this suggestion by the owner is a reasonable course of action rather than to just dissolve the efforts of buyer and seller as a consequence of running our of time.
^^ Dundee’s New V& A Museum ^^
A nod to the adjacent ship: RRS Discovery
Source & Photos: Click Here
^^ Former RAF Balado Bridge, Balado, Kinross, KY13 0NJ ^^
Possible Museum Solution…
Golf Ball Radome & Land £473,000.
This former RAF Balado military base is still fairly new, having been opened in 1985 by HRH Princess Anne.
Though after the Berlin Wall started being torn down on 9-November 1989 (here) and the USSR 26-December-1991 (here), the need for these types of military installation receded and the UK government Ministry of Defence sold the former RAF Balado site in 2006 (here).
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Aero Space Kinross Charity
We Will Help If We Are Able
For folk unfamiliar with this idea of an aero space visitor centre. here is some background information that is drawn from the public domain..
=> The subscribers of Aero Space Kinross have gone to a great deal of effort.
The owner of Balado has been making best efforts to assist, but is now retired and it is a simple fact that the number of years left are on the clock.
It is quite a responsibility to look after this large site and the owner wishes to spend more time with family and grand-children. So the decision has been taken to re-market to property. But in so doing, every effort will be made to help the charity wherever possible.
You can see the excellent effort put in by this team…
Very Professional Website
With A Well Qualified Board of Trustees
Click Here
There has been considerable time, effort and money on a major grant-award initiative.
Plus A Recent
Fundraiser: Still Ongoing:
Click Here
But after a number of years this has not resulted in a sale. The owners of Balado are still amenable to an approach and would like to see the site as some form of amenity as sought by Aero Space Kinross. Including making a smaller (2.87 acre + road access to all parts) of the 9 acre site available that is within the current budget of the charity and includes the Radome.
For clarity, here are the calculations illustrating acreage, adding up to approximately 2.87 acres including the Radome and land. Please note a life-time right of access over the private roads will be included in the new title-deeds if the current owner and charity reach a sale/purchase agreement.
Radome & Land
Lot #3
^^ Former RAF Balado Bridge. Site #3 ^^
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Connecting Land
Lot #3a
^^ Former RAF Balado Bridge. Site #3a ^^
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Brownfield Building Land
(Subject To Planning)
Lot #9
^^ Former RAF Balado Bridge. Site #9 ^^
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Further Details
To arrange an appointment to view the premises, our readers are welcome to contact us via…
Landline (UK) Tel:
0131 663 9102.
Text/Phone (UK): 0757 2768 795.
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