New Forest plan to save former RAF control tower approved

The Landmark Trust has been given the go-ahead to transform an old RAF control tower in the New Forest into a holiday let.

Officially known as a watch tower, the iconic building was part of the former RAF Ibsley, near Ringwood.

The former control tower at RAF Ibsley, near Ringwood, is next to Blashford Lakes

The airfield appears in a 1942 movie about R J Mitchell, the engineering genius who designed the Spitfire as the threat of war loomed.

Mitchell is played by Leslie Howard, who was killed later in the war when his aircraft was shot down, possibly because the Germans mistakenly thought that Winston Churchill was among the passengers.

David Niven portrays Geoffrey Crisp, a composite character who represents the pilots who tested Spitfires in the late 1930s.

READ MORE: Old RAF site in David Niven film could become holiday let

Plans to convert the control tower have been approved by New Forest District Council after sparking 132 letters of support.

The Landmark Trust has received consent to turn the building into a short-term holiday let with four bedrooms and a roof terrace.

A council report said: "The building has been derelict for some time and is in a very poor state of repair.

"The proposal would secure the long term viable future of the heritage asset, which is at risk of total loss due to its state of disrepair."

The report said the scheme would preserve an important part of the New Forest's history and landscape.

The control tower was built during the Second World War ad appeared in a movie about the designer of the Spitfire

A Landmark Trust spokesperson confirmed that work is likely to start later this year.

They added: "This is a real milestone for the Trust and a demonstration of how close working with all parties can enable rescue and restoration."

RAF Ibsley was used by the Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force between 1941 and 1944.

"Airmen flew into hostile skies to defend Britain with great courage and at huge personal cost, many never to return," added the spokesperson.

"Today the watch office is a unique survivor of its 518/40 design, which included innovative use of structural concrete.

"Yet the large Crittall windows have rusted and fallen in and the ceilings are rapidly collapsing, transforming the site into a patchwork of risks.

"The intervention of the Landmark Trust was the watch office’s only hope of being saved."