QinetiQ Watch 2007

[eastneyboy2000]

Daily Telegraph Friday 16th February

The boss of QinetiQ - the company about to sell Eastney Beach { and our common rights as users} was reported to have made £22million [yes,million] from shares he bought last February for the knock down price of £29,000 [yes,thousand] - in ONE YEAR

His pay package last year was £561,000 but he refuses to answer "difficult" letters such as those we have sent him - says it all really.

[NEW-NATURIST]

I think the way this Labour Government has decimated the UK defence force is an utter disgrace...

When Thatcher was in power she ruled out the privatisation of DRA, but Labour took this further, they hived-off the UK's most sensitive defence labs to an American defence consultancy firm - Carlyle Group which HAS links to Osama Bin Laden. This was despite virtually everybody against the privatisation of DERA.

Anyhow, The Carlyle Group have now disposed of their shares in QinetiQ, now that they have made a quick buck at the cost to the taxpayer. I predict dodgy times ahead for QinetiQ as their business is about keeping secrets and the Markets do not like this, couple this with the ever reducing guaranteed contracts from the MOD - QinetiQ could be in trouble.

EDIT: Oh, and another thing, Fraser Range was actually relatively safe under MOD ownership, in the early 90s Fraser was excluded from a DRA rationalisation programme and remained in use by DERA after further reviews in 1997.

This site had a dedicated function and it was only when shareholders became involved with QinetiQ that pressure was put on QinetiQs vast UK estate to make yet more efficiencies and closures, hence the shut down of Fraser. Other sites to have been axed include Bincleaves in Dorset; another shore-shide test site, and Defford.

[eastneyboy2000]

Sunday Telegraph 18 MAR 07:

Main Front Page Banner Headline in Business:

"  Audit Office  slams 'excessive' profits for Qinetiq chiefs "

MOD accused of allowing Qinetiq chiefs to reap excessive rewards.
Two directors make £40 million from investements of less than £250,000.

[NEW-NATURIST]

Well QinetiQ have sold yet another jewel in the Crown with the sale of its vast Bedford site to a developer...

FULL STORY HERE
http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/investing-and-markets/article.html?in_article_id=421606&in_page_id=3

We should take note in case we get hit with the same method, if the sale goes ahead (and its an if) then it could be the same organisation, Carlye Skelton. (Yes Carlye have a vested interest in QinetiQ, or did.

All above board of course! (haha)

[happyhampshire]

 Hi,
 just thought I let you all know, I enquired about the removal of the signs to Portsmouth City Council ;
 recived a very polite and informative relpy (too much to post here) but in summary;

 They CONFIMRED they have NO ownership or Control of the beach..
 It WAS QinetiQ that removed the signs
 They stated it is entirly upto QinetiQ what they wish to do with that section of beach, and whilst nude sunbathing had been "Tolerated" there in the past, this was not a presidnt for the future.
 It was "entirly" up to the land owners.

 So the beach is owned by QuinetiQ, and there is nothing PCC can do about it.
 

[happyhampshire]

 PS ...

 did you all also know that Southsea Caravn site has apparantly been sold to new owners.
 They are removing some of the static vans...
 
 IF QUINETQ succeed in their (outline) building planning application, this WILL break the pressident for building along the seafrount;

 Guess which is the Only other suitable site along this beachfrount?
 - it could not be turned down on appeal if QuinetiQ goes ahead;
 Perhaps this should encourage even more people (including all those in the posh Vangarud Court development) to sit up, and take notice of your admorable campaign.
 A new angle of support , perhaps?

[Michael H]

Interestingly QinetiQ are offering to release their restrictive covenants over the caravan park if PCC allow them to widen the access road.  One of the restrictions currently on the caravan park is that it shouldn't be used for residential development.  Who owns the caravan park?  Portsmouth City Council.

[NEW-NATURIST]

Interestingly QinetiQ are offering to release their restrictive covenants over the caravan park if PCC allow them to widen the access road.  One of the restrictions currently on the caravan park is that it shouldn't be used for residential development.  Who owns the caravan park?  Portsmouth City Council.

Why have QinetiQ got "restricitve covenants" over this area of land? is this another historical inheritance from the MOD (perhaps the covenant relates to when it was a firing range)

If anybody knows the answer i would be much appreciated.

[Greenman]

Just a thought for comments. Greenham Common was returned to the public after the MOD had finished with it. Should not this site also be returned to the public, from whom it was presumably requisitioned in the first place, even if it needs an act of Parliament and compensation to QinetiQ?

What was the history behind the original acquisition of the land by the MOD?

[NEW-NATURIST]

Hi Greenman,

during WWII the MOD or War Dept owned the entire Eastney peninsula from Fort Cumberland Rd right down to Hayling Ferry, and the area behind Fraser - inc. Fort Cumberland and the land where flats have now been built - Lumsden Rd. A huge amount of land which was primarily used for training & testing (Fort Cumberland had Royal Marines located there until the 70's).

The University Buildings sited next to the Eastney-side jetty were also MOD property - known as Exposure Trials Unit Eastney. Over the years the MOD released most of the land/sold it on for development.

Fraser Range was called HMS St George in a previous life and the Navy moved out in the 80's. The Eastern part of the site was used for Gunnery Training and was a live firing range. When DERA ceased to exsist the land became private because the majority of DERA was turned into a private company - Qinetiq.

I would like to point out too that QinetiQ did offer TO HAND OVER THE BEACH TO THE CITY COUNCIL a couple of months back but PCC refused this verbal offer.

Maybe they should have accepted this and we wouldn't be where we are now!

[Michael H]

QinetiQ's offer came with a sting though - they also wanted to hand over all responsibility for sea defences

[NEW-NATURIST]

QinetiQ's offer came with a sting though - they also wanted to hand over all responsibility for sea defences

So what...they have to provide cash for the rest of Portsea Isl sea defences? The costs of the replacement upgrade of these are on the Council website.

[Michael H]

My understanding is that PCC didn't want the extra costs associated with maintaining the sea defences for Q's development

[NEW-NATURIST]

Article featured in the Guardian Nespaper recently (June 18th 2008).

In search of towering profits

When the government's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (Dera) became Qinetiq as a result of a wholly botched privatisation that made 10 civil servants the mind-boggling sum of £109m, the new company inherited large amounts of valuable land. In particular, it got an old radar establishment site at Southsea in Hampshire, next to the historic Fort Cumberland, and two designated Sites Important to Nature Conservancy (Sincs). By any normal rights this wonderful beach land should be returned to the public, from whom it was taken in the first place, but Qinetiq - now billing itself as "one of the world's leading defence technology and security companies" - wants to build at least three large luxury towers of flats. Apart from earning the company around £50m, this development will almost certainly result in the loss of use of the beach to the public, and will banish the rare and vulnerable Dartford warbler from the site. The company is applying to Portsmouth city council to widen its access road, but this means taking land from the publicly owned conservation site. Not surprisingly, the council has turned down Qinetiq's offer of just £70,000.

Copyright, Guardian.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jun/18/ecosoundings

[NatureBoySouth]

The News, Thursday 11th September 2008, P10:

"MoD sheds its shares in QinetiQ for £257million

The MoD has been buoyed by a massive injection of funds after selling its shares in QinetiQ.

The sale brings a £257m windfall to the department, which has struggled to fund projects including the Royal Navy's new supercarriers and raised question marks over the future of sites such as Gosport's diving tower.

QinetiQ, once the military's own in-house research department was privatised in 2003, but the government retained a large stake.

Yesterday's landmark decision by the MoD to shed its remaining 18.9 per cent share means the weapons inventor will now be 100 per cent in the hands of the private sector.

But despite axing its financial ties to the company, the government retains a so called 'golden share' - the power to force the firm's hand if it is deemed in the national interest."

NatureBoySouth
An Eastney user on and off since 1985.