The Landmark Trust is seeking consent to preserve part of the former RAF Ibsley, near Ringwood, by converting the derelict control tower into holiday accommodation. The application has prompted more than 140 letters, almost all of which are from people backing the £3m scheme. Opened in 1941, Ibsley was one of 12 RAF and USAAF airfields in the New Forest.
The famous fighter station was used during the filming of The First of the Few, a 1942 movie that told how R J Mitchell designed the Spitfire. Mitchell was played by Leslie Howard, with Niven portraying a test pilot. Now, plans to restore the control room has gained supporters across the country, including Andrew Curtis, of Ripon in Yorkshire.
His letter to District Council, which will decide the application, says saving the building is of national importance. "It was after all the location for the film The First Of The Few, which brought the Spitfire and its crews to the attention of the British public. Winston Churchill himself made all facilities available to Leslie Howard.
" Fellow supporters include Claire Nugent, of Walsingham in Norfolk, who has already carried out a similar conversion. Her letter says: "With the Second World War slipping out of living memory it is vital now, more than ever, that we keep some of the remaining historic landmarks of this period alive. "We restored a former control tower and run it as a B&B.
It is now a beautiful domestic space and a poignant reminder of what happened here. "We wholeheartedly approve of other control towers being saved so the role they played is not lost to dereliction." The application has also sparked letters of support from people in the Southampton area.
Chris Balcombe, of Dibden Purlieu, says: "This is an excellent way of preserving our heritage. So little remains of the World War Two buildings in the NFDC area, it would be a to destroy Ibsley." Eddie Smith, of Bitterne, adds: "This is a rare chance to keep a little bit of our history and to honour those who gave their lives.
" One of the other letters has been sent in by Friends of New Forest Airfields. It says: "The building is unique and we believe the Trust's proposal is the only way it will not only survive but be restored.".
