Biggin Hill St George's RAF Chapel of Remembrance petition

[Sparts99]

Petiton against the proposed demolition of part of the chapel and charging entry in the future. Read the article for full details.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ ... emembrance

[bizfreeq]

Signed without hesitation!

[Sparts99]

I think a Biggin Hill museum is well overdue, especially as a lot of the wartime buildings still exist, just have to get B Ecclestone to lease one or two out, sure that'll be easy. But seriously there was a plan a few years ago, I don't know how far that progressed beyond the concept but reading the link it seems someone has been busy and come up with a proposal that preserves the Chapel at least.

[AshBailey]

Signed - good luck!

[panta615]

Signed. This place holds a special place in my heart. Family ties to the former RAF base as well as my Grandfathers ashes are scattered in the garden of remembrance.

Thanks for the heads up.

Dave

[Bushpilot]

Signed - no hesitation.

[morton66]

Signed

[paddyboy]

Forgot to say I have signed

[roughcutter]

Signed

[Sparts99]

Here's the latest update on the campiagn:

September 15th is an important day for Biggin Hill!

It is Battle of Britain Day - and the day we will be presenting our Petition to Central Government to 'Protect the St George's RAF Chapel of Rembrance' from the damaging plans of the London Borough of Bromley, and to impress on all concerned the need for a Museum which is 'worthy' of the RAF and the Airfield's history, without affecting the memorial to 454 pilots who died defending our country.

May I ask three further favours of you all?

If you can add weight to our campaign with those in positions of influence, please, this is the time to do so!

If you have contacts within the Press or the Media, please inform them of the campaign and tell them we will be at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, Parliament Street, this Friday, 15th Sept at 12.00 noon.

Finally is there someone you have forgotten to tell about the campaign? We just need a few more signatories to reach the psychologically significant figure of 15,000 before Friday. The Petition will remain open indefinitely, whatever the outcome.

Here's the petition link: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ ... emembrance

A big 'thank you' to you all, and let's hope we win this 'battle'.

Rita

[Sparts99]

A further update:

Last night we were were denied asking on your behalf our pre-booked oral questions at a Full Council Meeting of London Borough of Bromley. The newly appointed Deputy Leader deviously 'filibustered' us, by waffling on and using up all the available time responding to questions on another matter. The Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive appeared to be complicit in this manoeuvre, making no attempt to curb his ramblings.

One of the important issues we were to raise was whether it was morally correct that Heritage Lottery money should be used to demolish part of the Listed Chapel. The Council have been granted nearly £2M of Heritage Lottery money for this divisive scheme. If you think that this is wrong, as I do, will you please email the Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Stuart Hobley, and copy in the Leader of the Council, and his Chief Executive. Just a sentence or two and if you don't get a reply, please send it again. Their email addresses are:

StuartH@hlf.org.uk

Colin.Smith@bromley.gov.uk

doug.patterson@bromley.gov.uk

Scaffolding was erected yesterday around the Vestry and stripping out of the interior has started today, despite the Local Government Ombudsman not having received the information he requested from the Council to start his investigation into their planning procedures!!

So sorry to bring such bad news, but please do email the people above to show your disapproval.

Rita

www.https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petiti ... emembrance

[Sparts99]

Sad news from the campaign but there is stil work and campaigning to do.

Dear Friends,

Sadly I have to tell you that the large (70 sq.m) beautiful Grade II Listed Vestry has now been totally demolished, at a cost of £25,000 (source: BHMM Business Plan) of either Heritage Lottery Funds or Council Tax payers' money. Subsequently I have changed the Petition picture to show the BHMM building which is now to replace the Vestry. We found this version on Google Images and it is a slightly modified BHMM Architect Visualisation that someone had aptly re-titled to reflect most peoples' opinion of the design. I hope you don't feel it trivialises your Petition, but I think it makes a serious visual point. Please click on the link to view:

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ ... emembrance

In the future, if we don't continue the fight, this is the stark, unwelcoming, characterless building that will confront visitors as they approach the Chapel from the Car Park. Now here is a figure to take your breath away - the Architect's (Robin Lee's) fees for this vacuous and ill-conceived Museum are £235,823.00 (source: Bromley Council Corporate Contract Register Report, Sept 2017) and I thank a very erudite Veteran for that description of the design.

WE NEED TO BECOME AN IRRESISTABLE FORCE TO GET THIS DESIGN CHANGED. PLEASE FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE, FRIENDS, M.P.s, COUNCILLORS, NEWSPAPER NEWSDESKS, ETC. IN FACT ANYONE WHO COMES TO MIND!

Rant over! If you are at a loose end on a Sunday (22nd, 29th Oct and 5th, 12th Nov) why not visit the small, but delightful Shoreham (Kent) Aircraft Museum and tea-room, four miles south east of Orpington. This is home to the famous 'White Hart' Black-Out Screen, signed during the Battle of Britain by 53 famous Pilots! This gem is run entirely by enthusiastic volunteers, on hand to tell the stories of the exhibits, setting the bench mark on how to run a friendly 'proper' Museum. Do arrive before 4.00pm latest.

Don't forget to view the BBC TV News reports on the Biggin Hill tragedy by clicking on www.downe-kent.org.uk

The email addresses for your continuing protests are: hello@bhmm.org.uk Colin.Smith@bromley.gov.uk doug.patterson@bromley.gov.uk StuartH@hlf.org.uk Breda.Daly@historicengland.org.uk Michael.Dunn@historicengland.org.uk

Kindest regards,

Rita Radford

[Sparts99]

It gets worse..... Bromley council have a lot to answer for.

Dear All,

Two subjects to update you: trees and the bricks being used to build the 'Visitor Centre' (for that is all it is!).

Firstly trees, on the 7th April 2018 all the trees and shrubs were cut down from the front of the Chapel, many planted in remembrance of RAF personnel, including the yews and the flowering cherry (in bloom) that have appeared in photos for over 50 years. The area has been totally cleared and I urge you to click on the link below to the petition site, where the photo is now the Chapel as it appears today and the text describes the trees removed. Please also forward this link or this complete newsletter to all your acquaintances, asking them to sign the petition registering their disgust at this further atrocity. One can only wonder what damage will next be inflicted on the Chapel by the London Borough of Bromley.

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/ ... emembrance

In our last newsletter we told you of the bricks being used to build the so called museum, they are called 'Marziale' made by the huge Austro-German company Wienerberger AG and imported from the continent. They are not a special hand made brick as promised by the Council, but an 'off the shelf' machine-made brick that can be sourced from any builders merchant. When our newsletter filtered down to the head of a British brick manufacturer in Buckingshire he contacted the Council, its BHMM Trust and the Patron Randolph Churchill and offered his bespoke hand made wood-fired bricks for FREE, such is his regard for the RAF and Biggin Hill. His offer was REFUSED!! Not only that, he told them that had they contacted the building materials trade organisations in this country, they could have been given all the materials for free! Not only is it obvious that the London Borough of Bromley is totally lacking in empathy for the Chapel, but they have also demonstrated gross ineptitude!

Thanking you all,

Rita Radford. email: rcr.knockholt@btinternet.com