SCOTLAND’S Concorde is at the centre of a £14.8 million plan to redevelop the National Museum of Flight at East Fortune Airfield in East Lothian.
Gifted to Scotland 14 years ago, Concorde would be joined by the Viscount, Comet and BAC 1-11 planes in a new building at East Fortune.
Dr Gordon Rintoul, director of National Museums Scotland said: “We are in the process of holding consultation events on our plans for the next stage of development at the National Museum of Flight and warmly invite members of the public to come and hear our plans and tell us what they think.
“We are working with Hoskins Architects to design an entirely new hangar to be built on land right next to the Museum’s home at East Fortune Airfield. This would provide a permanent home for the Museum’s star attraction, Scotland’s Concorde, and help us protect other historically important aircraft which are currently at risk because they are displayed outdoors. The new building would enable us to significantly improve the experience for visitors to the Museum by creating a new entrance with better public facilities. It also presents us with the opportunity to rethink and enhance the presentation of the historic Second World War airfield, which is an important ‘artefact’ in its own right.”
Dr Rintoul added: “The National Museum of Flight is already a significant component of East Lothian’s visitor economy and this investment will drive additional employment opportunities and help further stimulate the development of the area’s tourism sector.
“This is the next step in the development of the museum, which started with the arrival of Concorde in 2004 and has seen extensive investment in the site in recent years, including the creation of new exhibitions in 2009 and the restoration and redisplay of two original Second World War hangars in 2016.
“We hope that residents will take the opportunity to come along to one of our two planned consultation events, view the design and discuss it with our team.”
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