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THE Coastal Quarry Local Supporters Network (CQLSN) is set to become a company limited by guarantee in order to gain a seat at talks on Harris's future economic development.
A final draft of a constitution is under preparation and if adopted, the CQLSN say it will give them the same status as Harris Development Ltd. and make it more difficult for local development agencies to exclude the Network from discussions.
Yesterday, Network vice chairman, Mr John Macleod denied the move had been orchestrated by Redland Aggregates and stressed the initiative was the Network's baby.
Protested Mr Macleod: "Redland are not involved in the drafting of the constitution. It has absolutely nothing to do with Redland. We are doing this off our own back."
Mr Macleod explained the other reason for converting to a company was to take on the interim organisation of the royalty fund until the superquarry starts work.
He said a decision in principle has been taken to become a company but a number of issues have still to be settled.
"By becoming a company limited by guarantee we then would have the justification and the right to ask people like Western Isles Enterprise and Harris Development Limited to have a stronger dialogue with us.
"It would make us eligible to be involved in discussions with Harris Development Ltd. and other official bodies. At the moment, we are seen as just a loose association of individuals and are actively left out of a lot of discussions," stated Mr Macleod.
They are particularly concerned that to date they have been studiously ignored in the discussions over the Harris Development Plan and the Minerals Plan for the Western Isles.
The Network vice-chairman denies that their consultations with Redland Aggregates and the company's legal advisers, W & J Burness on the draft constitution for a Network company in any away undermines the independence of the Network. Momentum for setting up as a company came from within the Network, but Redland are naturally supportive and agree that it is a move that will improve the Network's credibility rating with local development agencies.
"We have asked Redland for advice. We are a body of individuals who are trying to promote this quarry desperately because this island needs work badly and Redland have readily offered advice when we have asked for it," stated Mr Macleod.
But the Gazette has come into possession of a fax from Burness to Redland Aggregates director, Mr John Leivers which indicates the quarry developers were very closely involved with the detailed drafting of the Network company's constitution.
In the fax, dated, January 8, 1997, Burness solicitor, Mr Paul Pia tells Mr Leivers: "I trust that you duly received my first draft of a 'Constitution' - a Memorandum and Articles of Association - for the Local Supporters Network.
"I would like to relate this draft to the check list which I sent with my letter of December 2.
"The first section of the Constitution deals with inter alia with the name of the proposed company and its objects.
"I have provisionally called the proposed company 'CQLSN Limited' but this is provisional only and should, following your discussion with the supporters, be replaced with your chosen name."
It goes on: "As regards the objects of the company, the important clauses are (1) and (2); the others are merely 'boiler plate'. I have drafted the objects clause for discussion purposes but they will clearly have to be revised by you in conjunction with the local supporters."
Commenting on the fax, though, the Network vice chairman said it was only a small excerpt from a much longer dialogue between the Network and Burness and was not in context.
Said Mr Macleod:"The context is that we wanted to get more involved in discussions with Western Isles Enterprise and others about the Mineral Plan and the Harris Development Plan, two things that affect us greatly. We have repeatedly been denied reasonable access to any discussions. We are not even made privy to any information and subsequently we are finding things out by the back door. It's not very fair."
Mr Macleod said that the fax from Burness to Mr Leivers was merely an update of events to that point. Original article Stornoway Gazette Apr 22 1997.
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