Or is the famous aviation museum treading water and playing for time?
In 2019, Just months after the Government gave Garden Village status to Dunsfold Park’s new 2,600-home settlement- on Dunsfold Airfield Mark 1. The master plan included the provision of a Museum charting its aviation history. Meanwhile another Government department gave the go-ahead for a National Aviation Museum (with a 10,000 sq metre building) set up on Dunsfold Park’s perimeter fence in Benbow Lane, Alfold. NMA/2024/00241
Wings Museum – Decision Notice
Despite the new garden village’s prestigious new road recently opened, no homes have been built. Hence, there is no museum. Perhaps Dunsfold Airfield Museum Mark 2 could be up and running soon.
You couldn’t make it up – really, you couldn’t.
This recent planning application shows that the Balcome-based Museum owners want to amend its consent conditions. So perhaps work is about to begin?
We can hear you choking on your cornflakes, and our heartfelt sympathies go out to Alfold, the small rural village that could soon become a mecca for worldwide aviation enthusiasts and an avalanche of new housing and cars!
Waverley councillors described the museum as “bizarre,” “massive,” “huge,” and “enormous.” Hangars are more fitting for Heathrow or Gatwick and were rejected by local members long ago.
It beggared belief why Waverley’s head honcho (Liz the Biz, there have been half a dozen more since her demise) led her planning numpties into recommending approval of the scheme, subsequently thrown out by councillors. Amazingly, there were no highway objections at the time – as vehicles will access the site from the A281 at The Alfold Crossways’ Kamikaze Corner junction into a narrow rural Dunsfold Road.
The Appeal to build a 10,000 sq metre warehouse/museum in a green field on a small rural road just a hop, skip and a fence away from the Aerodrome was given the go-ahead by Inspector S.J Lee in 2019. So, it has been almost five years since the consent was granted.
Perhaps the consent is about to run out, and the developer wants to get in quick with a non-material amendment, get on site, and dig a hole.
This is an extract from its request:
The Applicant needs to commence enabling works upon the clearance of areas of the site and excavation/base formation of the approved new access in advance of detailed information being available relating to drainage design for the large building and car park approved. These enabling works relate to a small area of the site and will not prejudice the later implementation of a surface water drainage system in accordance with details to be submitted and approved. No works beyond the binder course level of the approved access will be carried out until the full drainage details are approved under the condition requirements.
The application site measures 3.36 hectares and is located north of Alfold Road and east of Benbow Lane. It is currently vacant and occupied by rough scrubland. It was previously used as an airfield as part of Dunsfold Aerodrome, with remnants of some concrete munition stores and plane dispersal pads still present on site amongst the undergrowth.
An appeal to build Dunsfold Airfield Mark 2 – on land adjacent to Dunsfold has been ALLOWED.
Chocks away for another Dunsfold Museum?
Will Alfold soon become one of the UK’s popular visitor attractions?
It’s pretty clear Wings have no plans, nor means other than to extend their planning permission. They’ll dig a tiny bit of road and the schmuck planners will give it a Certificate of Lawfulness and declare commencement of works – as they always do. It’ll be a distribution warehouse soon.
I heard that the Wings Museum had inherited a substancial sum of money from a wealthy benefactor – which is how they are able to fund their re-location!!
10,000sqm warehouse at a building cost average of £1000 per sqm = £10m. Wings may have a £700,000 benefactor, but that doesn’t amount to enough to build this. Their museum exhibits generate a turnover of £20k pa and no profit – the business is not viable. They won’t even be able to afford to heat £10,000sqm. There is something fishy going on.