Businesses welcome army invasion

THE BUSINESS community is pleased with the news that RAF Kinloss is to become a British Army base.

Firms in both Kinloss and Forres told the ‘Gazette’ they believed it was good for the local economy.

But there are worries about what will happen between now and when the troops are due to arrive in 2014 or 2015.

Elaine Gittings, owner of the Seapark Filling Station in Kinloss, described the news as “welcome”.

“There’s nothing wrong with the Army,” she said. “The only thing that worries me is the timescale.”

Mrs Gittings commented that as the air force had progressively reduced staff at RAF Kinloss over the years that business had suffered as a result. “I really don’t know how long we can keep the banks happy,” she said.

Up the road in Forres people were unanimous in their approval.

“It’s good news,” said Pearl Hamilton who runs Pearl’s Pets on Tolbooth Street. She also said she would like to see the impact a change from air force to Army personnel had had in other areas.

“I just think it will be good for the area,” said Sue West of Sue’s News on High Street. “A lot of people say where there are soldiers there are a lot of problems but I lived in Chatham (home to an Army base) for a lot of years and they didn’t cause any more trouble than the locals.”

She also asked: “What happens in the meantime?”

Margaret Williamson, a director of Macleans Highland Bakery, said: “It’s just great that it (RAF Kinloss) will be used for something.”