| Duxford Imperial War Museum publishes response |
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The Imperial War Museum Duxford has made their response to the proposal of an eco-town at Hanley Grange public.
"The Imperial War Museum’s Board of Trustees have reservations over the proposed Hanley Grange development as it will directly impact on IWMD’s standing as a centre of historic aviation operation and its ability to achieve long term sustainability.
It is viewed that any local developments that curtail, or limit flying operations and obstruct the objective of IWMD being a sustainable branch of the Imperial War Museum cannot be supported.
Thus for the above reasons outlined in this submission we trust that the site at Hanley Grange will not be progressed any further in the eco-towns programme." This is the text of the Imperial War Museum Duxford's submission.
Dear Sir
Proposed Eco Town. Land at Hanley Grange, South Cambridgeshire
I write on behalf of the Trustees of the Imperial War Museum in response to the document entitled ‘Eco Towns: Living a Greener Future’ consultation paper. The proposed development on the land at Hanley Grange is at its closest point, within 2.5km of the Imperial War Museum Duxford (IWMD) that is based at the historic Duxford Aerodrome. The airfield is in regular use by aircraft of all types throughout the year. At times, particularly on air show days of which there are six per annum, aircraft of varying ages, type and size use the site intensively.
Background to IWMD: IWMD is a branch of the Imperial War Museum (IWM), a national museum on six sites, five of which are open to the general public, and all of which are integral elements of the Museum.
The site is acclaimed as the 'finest and best preserved example of a fighter base representative of the period up to 1945 in Britain’ (Source: English Heritage). IWMD has won numerous awards for its exhibitions and events and was recognised in April this year at the National Enjoy England Awards for Excellence awards in which IWMD was awarded Gold in the prestigious Large Visitor Attraction of the Year category.
IWMD is also the principal collection storage facility for the IWM and provides other services for the Museum as a whole including photography, film conservation and mail order services. The site is home to a number of third-party complementary businesses and organisations including conservation services, archive storage and management, historic aircraft flying partners and three Regimental museums.
The key remit of the IWM, as a whole, is learning and access. IWMD has a long established, strong and vibrant educational programme. In the year 2007/2008; some 100,000 learners participated in our formal learning programmes of which approximately 65,000 were schoolchildren.
In the past 10 years, the IWMD has invested in excess of £40m in capital development of the site. In this period IWMD has welcomed almost 4.25m visitors with some 451,000 in 2007/2008 alone. IWMD works with partner organisations including the East of England Development Agency (EEDA), Cambridgeshire County Council, South Cambridgeshire District Council, the District and Parish authorities, education and skills providers, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and East of England Tourism. EEDA and the HLF have both supported the £40m of capital investment with grants totalling almost £19m.
Duxford Airfield/Aerodrome:
IWMD are the operators of the airfield/aerodrome, which is integral to the operation of the Museum and the public offer. Administered jointly by the Imperial War Museum and Cambridgeshire County Council, as owners of the land, this airfield is licensed for 365 days per year and is the base for the largest collection of flying historic military aircraft in Europe. These aircraft are a unique historic collection; a significant and increasing part of the nations aviation heritage and an essential part of the dynamic mix of interpretative exhibitions, active conservation work and flying aircraft for which IWMD is world famous. On the 1 April 2008 IWMD lodged an aerodrome-safeguarding map with the Local Planning Authority.
Comments to the proposed development in relation to IWMD’s flying operation:
Any development at Hanley Grange would significantly restrict the movement of general aviation (GA) aircraft in and around the IWMD circuit that allows over flying any area at 500 feet+. This would have a detrimental impact on our existing operation and could, in turn, lead to complaints of noise disturbance from potential occupants of the proposed dwellings, and impact upon their ability to enjoy a reasonable standard of living. Indeed any future efforts to curtail IWM’s GA flying would have commercial consequences for the Museum and its on-site flying partners and may jeopardise the long term sustainability of the IWMD.
Under current permit to fly restrictions historic, ex-military aircraft, which form the bulk of our on airfield partners operational collections and make up the majority of our air show flying content, are restricted from over-flying populated areas unless taking off or landing. Any obstacle to the operation of these aircraft would severely restrict the dynamism and viability of our airfield operations which are a vital part of the visitor offer, and form a significant part of the overall annual income target for IWMD. The net effect of the admissions from air shows and day-to-day visitors is a significant, positive contribution to our running costs and thus any reduction in income levels presents a risk to IWMD.
A component of air shows at IWMD are displays by fast military jet aircraft that have a pre-determined, predominantly fixed route. The noise footprint is such that they pass to the east of Duxford Village during their display and if Hanley Grange were to be developed this would mean considerable and high levels of jet engine noise be directed towards the proposed new settlement thus requiring fast military jets to constrain their IWMD air displays.
During air shows IWMD operate the airfield within strict and restrictive guidelines and flying zones as can be seen on the attached air traffic route maps. These maps form part of a current Aeronautical Information Circular posted by the National Aeronautical Information Service on their web site. They identify the routes that aircraft, leaving and entering the circuit must take and show a clear path over the proposed Hanley Grange development site.
In the future, if IWMD were to move to an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) recovery capability or future legislation were to require licensed airfields to operate under IFR, all IWMD air traffic would over-fly the proposed development, to enter and exit the circuit, at a height of between 500-600 feet.
Thus the proposed Hanley Grange development would not only experience noise disturbance from our existing, lawful and unfettered aerodrome use but has the potential to seriously constrain aerodrome activities thus impacting on the longer term ability of IWMD to self sustain.
Comments to proposed development in relation to local infrastructure: It is noted that the consultation document states that: This site is adjacent to the A11, the A505 and A1301. Impact on these and adjoining routes will need to be fully assessed.’
The Museum relies on efficient and effective local road capacity during peak visitor periods; on the busiest days between 14,000 and 20,000 visitors arrive in a short space of time. This road capacity is a vital component of the traffic management plan that is key to ensuring that the local Police can maintain the strategic road network. IWMD already pay a significant amount for the cost of providing traffic management measures and are concerned that the proposed development would impact upon vehicle access to IWMD through a much-increased level of local traffic movement.
IWMD has, and is, experiencing difficulties with the capacity of the local electricity supply and the inadequate nature of the local supply grid. There have been frequent interruptions to supply and there appeared to be insufficient capacity for our latest exhibition building; AirSpace, for which we had to install a gas supply under the M11 to accommodate the shortfall. Any significant increase in local demand will lead to an increase in the frequency of power failures. This, in turn, will lead to restrictions on our ability to open to visitors and directly impact on IWMD’s ability to generate income.
The proposed development at Hanley Grange will require significant improvements to the local infrastructure as without them the IWMD’s ability to operate on a day-to-day basis and self sustain will be materially affected.
Comments to the proposed development in relation to local tourism:
A development of the scale envisaged at Hanley Grange will have implications for the longer-term economic viability of this important heritage site. IWMD relies heavily on the £4m that it generates as admission income from its day-to-day public offer, its commercial and airfield operation and its event days.
Indeed IWMD contributes over £13m GVA in the region and, provides in excess of 200 full time jobs between the Museum and its on-site partners organisations. As well as being Europe’s premier aviation museum IWMD is a world leader in aviation heritage conservation and hosts more air show days than anywhere else in Europe.
Therefore, beyond the aspiration of creating an eco-town, the site at Hanley Grange fails to meet wider planning objectives relating to the protection of existing important employment and tourist uses.
Summary of submission: Aircraft have been operating from Duxford airfield since 1918 and it is the Imperial War Museum's clear intention that they continue to do so in as an unrestricted manner as possible in the future.
The presence of the Imperial War Museum, through its Duxford branch, in the East of England is of significant benefit to the region both as a world-class venue for the preservation, interpretation and display of historic aircraft and as an award winning visitor attraction / educational establishment.
The Imperial War Museum’s Board of Trustees have reservations over the proposed Hanley Grange development as it will directly impact on IWMD’s standing as a centre of historic aviation operation and its ability to achieve long term sustainability.
It is viewed that any local developments that curtail, or limit flying operations and obstruct the objective of IWMD being a sustainable branch of the Imperial War Museum cannot be supported.
Thus for the above reasons outlined in this submission we trust that the site at Hanley Grange will not be progressed any further in the eco-towns programme. The Trustees of the Imperial War Museum would be grateful if you would acknowledge receipt of this letter and keep us informed in this regard.
I do hope this clarifies the situation but should you require any further information the please do not hesitate to contact us.
Yours Sincerely
Richard Ashton Director, IWM Duxford |
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