In light of this urgent ELECTRICITY PRICE REDUCTION project, this page’s original Sannox Hotel FOR SALE page has been moved: Click here. The hotel is being sold to help fund our community wind-turbine + hydro-electric + solar projects
This website’s homepage: latest update…
2022
Hope = Health + Jobs + Normality
As At March 2022 = 161 Jobs Created.
Welcome to the Scotslion website. Formerly Argyll Group plc. This front page is here to illustrate how we may be able to help you. By creating new jobs and possibly a rebooted lifestyle, a decent measure of hope can be brought to life. As part of some positive news, as of 25th March 2022 we are now able to launch our latest project for real-world proof-of-concept analysis. In other words, actually buy the land + building and put a wind turbine on it with the end result of a community ownership (and low electricity bill) outcome…
Latest News
Reducing Electricity Prices
Also Reducing Electric Vehicle Running Costs Too
Click Here
We are now looking for a “proof of concept” site to buy in a town or village or city, upon which to trial this effort to at least HALVE electricity prices for local communities. If you know of a suitable piece of land or ideally an old dilapidated industrial building such as an engine house where we could place one of these community wind turbines…
Please can you TEXT or phone Russ McLean on:
0757 2768 795.
This can be ANYWHERE in the UK.
If this first one works, then communities nationwide can follow the process and at least halve their own local electricity prices. Also, a fairly important matter of helping save the planet too!
Many thanks.
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Notwithstanding the Scotslion Urban-Turbine Initiative, our main passion is our…
Save The High Street Campaign
We Provide Renovated Shops, Offices & Light Industrial Units
At Affordable Rent + We Give Startup Help + Mentorship
Turning dilapidated High Street buildings such as the one in this next photo, back into fully renovated and useful buildings. This one will provide 18 new jobs…
^^^ Argyll Group/Scotslion Project Number 44 ^^^
Need A Job?
For 20 years, our job is to create new and viable jobs!
Contact: Here
The picture above illustrates a large, three-storey, 18 office building that we bought on 28th February 2020. This was 23 days before the UK Covid lockdown of 23rd March 2020 (here). Human memory can be merciful in helping block out how utterly overwhelming the unknown future of that time was. For example, would the NHS cope with Covid-overload? Even with brand new emergency hospitals being built in a few days: here. Memories fade at how unknowns of this novel virus strained every part of society and government. Timeline: here.
In our small parts of the world, we made best efforts to continue employing contractors and keeping jobs alive by putting a fairly unusual Covid safety protocol in place at all of our building sites. This kept the building teams on our UK and overseas project sites as safe as is within our ability (here).
These latest High Street premises are now fully renovated and 80% of the units “under offer” from tenants before we have even put them anywhere near our Rightmove account (Sylvyn: here) or on social media (here)!
^^^ Affordable Rent Is Crucial ^^^
For example, rent starts at £7 per day per office or small shop unit to run your business. We are aiming to role out year 22 of our campaign to…
SAVE THE HIGH STREET
…and turbo-charge the effort with 22 re-opened premises this time around.
On the theme of “22”, those 22 renovated shops/offices/hotels/garages may well each happen by…
REGENERATING EMPTY HIGH STREETS ACROSS
22 CITIES & TOWNS
An audacious 484 renovated premises.
In our lifetime.
You might just have noticed our proposal above, to renovate + help a newstart business become established by re-opening…
484
…closed buildings is a lot!
You are absolutely correct.
But here’s the thing. Since we started this between 1997 (really motoring by 1999) our group of doctors, teachers, architects, lawyers, police officers, Army, Royal & Merchant Navy, RAF and Royal Marines along with electricians, roofers, joiners, plumbers, glaziers, plasterers and especially nurses and the occasional firefighter and harbourmaster…
…have all joined together, via a plc (public limited company) and somehow by 1st January 2022 renovated 48 empty~shops + closed~hotels and shut~offices. So we are 10% of the way to the big target of 484.
If you add our friends joining in at their own towns and villages and re-opening closed premises near to them, plus becoming junior Dragons’ Den folk helping newstart businesses, that core number goes up to 78.
Because of recent peculiarities around Covid where, counter-intuitively we have become very busy, the 484 target is definitely reachable. You will see some of the other projects we have tackled (here to start a charity, then here before renovation, and after renovation: here). This may begin to help our readers understand the determination in this group of individuals.
=> With wonderous irony, the founder, the director who is disabled and virtually unemployable has managed, with the help of a LOT of friends to employ 164 people!
=> Plus keep this effort going (here).
Previously we have found that by the time we…
Renovate and re-open the twentieth shop in a tired looking High Street, a tipping point is reached. As long as someone locally cares to continue nurturing these endeavours, each High Street does come back to life and many jobs are created and kept alive.
This works. These are not words on a random website of hopes and dreams; they are fact-based deeds. Literally evidenced by HM Land Registry shop title deeds. This proves what we have been doing can bring about hope, plus fair measure of constructive change.
Hope has taken an almighty battering during this past two years of horrendous Covid. But hope is still alive.
We intend to help you in whatever way is within our ability to prove hope can be rekindled.
If, from 22 years ago when a disabled former harbourmaster and a serving firefighter started this eccentric endeavour to the point where it shocked them and grew into a public limited company (plc) and now has 585 friends determined to make interesting and positive things happen, then how about you give it a go in your local town with your own team?
We don’t like to dwell on the disability thing, but a good friend just became disabled and we want to prove that there are still adventures and meaningful life left.
Every day is precious. We have hope. Fingers crossed that positive ais contagious! Amongst other things, we aim to prove you have skills that can help others, whether creating jobs or leading interesting projects, or registering and running charities. Whatever your passion is, the world still needs you.
To quote that well worn phrase…
Pay It Forward.
None of us at this end of the website keyboard have figured it out yet, but after each charity was registered, very good things started to happen with quality of life.
One random question: have you spent time during lockdown wondering whether you want to go back to the “normality” you knew? For example, the two hours each day commuting? Especially when that may mean joining the Covid lottery of lethality…
^^^ Our Managing Director Loves London ^^^
(Alamy Copyright Licence Paid)
Or do you fancy a change?
At this end of things, frankly, London, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow lost some appeal due to Covid and risks to elderly relatives. The old remote (ish) lighthouse office is becoming ever more tempting…
^^^ The North Scotslion Office ^^^
^^^ “Remote Working” Is Becoming Fashionable ^^^
Fancy a slice? Click Here.
We’ve been banging-on about “remote-working” for decades. It’s a way where we can get village shops re-opened and remote petrol stations brought back to life. Though nowadays it is Tesla type electric vehicle charging points instead of the internal combustion engine. But vehicles need refuelled with electricity just as often as petrol. We have some exciting news direct from the main electric eccentric Tesla guru on that subject which will be revealed soon.
On par with this….
^^^ Computer Businesses ^^^
Ideal for folk who may have disability battles.
If proof-of-concept works, then you may have a very large business and great chance to create jobs on your career path.
So perhaps listen to those times during lockdown when you have been revisiting your style of life and career options.
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Evidence Led Ventures
All the office/shop units in our latest Save The High Street building purchase (at the top of this page) are completely renovated. We future-proof the insulation to the maximum which is just as well given energy prices for heating have increased to a financially shocking level.
^^^ High Quality Insulation May Seem Boring ^^^
But all this extra insulation saves heartache when the heating bills land on your doormat! Plus we usually over-engineer the safety of the building and what you see in the photos above and below are special fire-retardant wallboards. These are applied with a double-skin overlap to make sure the heating bills are low, the soundproofing works and the fire retardant structure is as safe as we can make it.
In spite of Covid, we are indebted to our team of shop renovators, scaffolders, roofers, joiners, electricians, plumbers, decorators, carpet layers. All of whom managed to navigate the Coronavirus safety protocols (here), stay safe and provide high quality shop and office units for rent at affordable prices…
^^^ Affordable High Street Offices & Shops ^^^
^^^ £7.80 per day ^^^
Already we have 22 years buying and renovating dilapidated empty shops, offices, garages and light industrial units. This has been excellent training to show us many secrets for making a business viable.
In the top five is…
Keeping rent affordable
This results has been…
Jobs + Jobs + Jobs.
The core of what is needed just now, especially with Covid killing off the more expensive rental units in the High Street, are providing freshly renovated, good quality shops and offices at affordable rent levels…
^^^ Abbey Studios Business Centre ^^^
From £23 to £79 per week
Average: £49 per wee
Tel/Text: 0757 2768 795
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A quick digression on this front page for fun…
You could try total social-distancing
On Your Own Island Community
An Ultimate Social Experiment
With the Coronavirus presenting mutants and variants, there will several years before we all get back to normal. Our managing director grew up with his childhood splattered by candle wax from the power cuts during UK prime minister Ted Heath and Harold Wilson’s governments. As a result, he has owned an electricity generator ever since. It has come in useful on many occasions, so there may be a lesson to learn.
The point?
If power cuts cause an average human being to own a back-up electricity generator for 40 years, then what on earth will be the long-term fallout from this Covid pandemics?
Hint: we have had a FOURFOLD increase in the number of enquiries to our sister company from folk looking to live at a remote place.
Because of Coronavirus, significant numbers of people are looking to live in remote places (here). The most popular request is asking whether we have any islands for sale just now!
On that theme, our Unique Property Bulletin offshoot has already been approached by an independent television company to establish a “Covid-Free” community as part of a reality tv show…
^^^ Covid-Free Community Island ^^^
Our High-Net-Worth Crew Have The Funds To Build This.
A suitable site in the UK is being sought.
It is a social experiment where a small, self-contained community can get back to “normal” living. Grandparents can be in the same room with the grandchildren. Families can visit friends and neighbours. You can go to the shops without worrying about Covid.
This seems like a pipe-dream, but given the charity that our managing director co-founded (narrated below), these styles of adventurous project are definitely possible.
It doesn’t have to be a big Covid-Free community island. There are smaller versions we have available. Would you live either on the big island or this small island if it meant getting back to normality until Covid settles down and becomes a relatively routing endemic?
^^^ Covid-Safe On An Island ^^^
This idea is a bit “out there” as far as ideas are concerned. There is “remote-working” and then there is the total monastic way of living! But we mention this type of lifestyle it for two reasons…
1]. Our original Argyll Group plc was brought up on an island.
2]. Our sister website, Unique Property Bulletin (here) has been asked by a television commissioning editor to find appropriate island property.
It is fairly routine for our team to be asked to find islands as the M.D. was brought up on the Island of Arran and has lived most of his life on islands!
^^^ Davaar Island ^^^
^^^ Birthplace of Argyll Group plc ^^^
We digress. Though it is important to have fun and islands can be magnificent places to live and earn a living. Especially now remote-working is becoming more acceptable,
Returning to our core reason for this website and company, Argyll Group/Scotslion and the 44th High Street premises with the next 18 new jobs, we have included “covid-safer” offices, where folk with underlying health issues can return to work, but have extra protection of a small hallway where folk can come in and talk at the glass screen in the negative-pressurised, HEPA ventilated visitor cubicle.
Until the Covid virus has burnt through the variants and we reach the endemic end-stage of the virus, we are adapting our shops and offices to ensure those folk who need disability “Covid-safer” adjustments are suitably accommodated….
^^^ Covid-Safer Office Entry Booth ^^^
This ensures those folk with underlying health issues and others in their 60s an 70s with say heart or stroke matters, but who wish to return to work can do so. Here is an example of am office that is “Covid-safer”…
^^^ Covid-Safer Booth Completed ^^^
This way, nobody can accidentally barge in and risk the life of a tenant who is at high risk of mortality if they catch the virus.
=> So popular are these “Covid-safer” offices and shop units that this “proof of concept” example was leased for 3 years within four days of being renovated + decorated and ready for use.
As for the rest of this building, here is a video to give you an idea of what is available ~ and if this one is completely occupied by the time you see it, we will have another one being renovated for you to look at…
^^^ Abbey Studios, Anytown ^^^
18 Offices & Shop Units.
Rent starts from £39 per week and averages £45 per week for a High Street unit.
Once each business becomes established and our tenants have their confidence (and cash reserves) at a sustainable level, we are more than happy to buy them a High Street shop or office of their own choosing for their exclusive occupancy.
=> We will do everything within our ability to ensure the growing business continues to evolve and hopefully employ more folk.
This helps to get the High Street back to full occupancy and renovates + fills the empty dilapidated premises that plague so many town centres.
=> This competitive rent environment we offer also hands a chance to new businesses to become established.
In fact it is important to mention that we have had ESTABLISHED businesses look to reduce their overheads and move into our premises. We are very happy to help in whatever way ensures that jobs are kept alive.
The example of our premises at the top of this page is of a large 3 storey building. We also buy and renovate smaller shops. Here is an old, closed, dilapidated bookmakers we bought…
^^^ Typical Shop Before We Renovate ^^^
After a renovation and some Dragons’ Den television series type advise, the transformation back into a live and vibrant shop is evident…
^^^ Typical Shop After We Renovate ^^^
The rents for small shops start from around £49 per week.
=> If your new business cannot afford £7 a day to rent a commercial shop or office, then it’s maybe an idea to think of another style of business.
We can even help you if you prefer to stay on PAYE as an employee.
Our principle is that once an empty shop or office is bought and renovated, we will place a “for rent” sign up for 6 to 8 weeks. If that has not attracted a tenant within those few weeks, we simply choose something that the local town needs and start the business ourselves.
=> After a period of time, the staff are offered the business and building once it has become established.
After all it is the staff that make the business a success. This is not mandatory; it is not always possible. But when it happens it has worked well.
To give you an idea of another typical empty shop, here is an old R S MacColl newsagent in a High Street that had been laying empty for 7 years…
The next door shop was struggling a bit and the owner of that neighbour-shop asked if we would start an estate agency as we had quite a lot of shops, offices and houses!
It sounded a bit eccentric, but here is our building after that renovation. It was run by the adjacent shop owner and saved his business from closing, whilst also helping to get this empty old shop re-opened…
Around 20 years later, this estate agency in the photograph is still trading. The property provides work for two people. It, plus around 21 other shops we renovated and re-opened helped bring that High Street back to life. Though we need to emphasise, it is important for shop owners and the local community to work to keep these shops and their town centre in good condition and especially shop locally if at all possible.
In Lewes, Sussex, they have a brilliant idea in keeping their town-centre alive and vibrant.
The Lewes Pound
As for the estate agency shop we owned for a while, that particular business was owned by the staff member for several years. But we understand he subsequently sold it due to getting married and moving away from the town. The shop is still open and trades well.
But the key thing is that when you renovate an empty, dilapidated shop or office to a decent standard and rent it at a reasonable amount, then it really does give each shop and the staff inside a decent chance to grow the enterprise.
This is our way to…
SAVE THE HIGH STREET
Please visit our website regularly for updates and news.
Better still, type your email in the annoying pop-up box and we will send you an alert when something interesting happens.
Much more will be added…
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THIS WEBSITE FRONT PAGE WILL INCLUDE
THE ONE YEAR PLAN
&
THREE YEAR PLAN
OF SCOTSLION LTD
& THE ARGYLL GROUP LTD
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BELOW THIS LINE: EDIT IN PROGRESSS
AS THIS WEBSITE OVERHAUL PROGRESSES
IMPORTANT PROJECTS ARE TO BE ADDED, INCLUDING A REGISTERED CHARITY AND A LIGHTHOUSE BUILDING FOR SALE…
WHERE ONE OF OUR READERS CAN RENT A FORMER KEEPER’S COTTAGE FOR £99 PER WEEK FROM WHICH TO “REMOTE-WORK” FROM.
PLUS BUY A UNIQUE LIGHTHOUSE BUILDING TO CONVERT INTO AN AMAZING PLACE TO LIVE AND WORK: SUBJECT TO PLANNING PERMISSION.
IN ADDITION WE HAVE A PROJECT THAT IS SO SIGNIFICANTLY ADVANCED THAT IF THE POLITICAL WILL CAN BE FOUND, WOULD SAVE THE GOVERNMENT AT LEAST…
£500,000,000
THAT IS ABOVE AND BEYOND THE MORE MODEST EFFORTS TO…
SAVE THE HIGH STREET.
THIS PAGE IS EVOLVING
DURING THE FIRST COUPLE OF MONTHS IN
2022
PLEASE CHECK BACK REGULARLY
THIS PAGE WILL BE EVOLVING
SPECIFICALLY TO HELP TOWN CENTRES
AND YOU.
OR COMPLETE THE POP-UP EMAIL BOX TO RECEIVE ALERTS WHEN NEWS OF ADVENTURES HERE HAPPEN. ESPECIALLY AS THESE MAY HAVE A POSITIVE EFFECT ON YOU.
MANY THANKS AND BEST WISHES.
THE ARGYLL GROUP AND SCOTSLION
JOB CREATION TEAM.
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Last But Not Least
Possibly the most useful thing we can do…
Photo Courtesy of: Andy Thompson / Alamy
Click Here
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