AN AVIATION heritage centre has appealed to Cornwall Council to reach an agreement over a new lease which will safeguard its future.

Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre is located on a site owned by the Council at Newquay Airport.

The museum, which is privately funded and relies on volunteers, has an extensive collection of aircraft and provides educational visits for local schools and colleges.

It also provides facilities which have been used by the MOD for training exercises and is currently preparing a bid to bring one of the last remaining operational Nimrod aircraft back to Cornwall.

However it has reached an impasse with Cornwall Council.

The centre’s previous lease has finished and it is using the land on a rolling basis until a long-term lease is in place. Negotiations previously broke down as the centre felt that the council was asking for too much money.

Richard Spencer-Breeze, director of the centre, said: “In 2019 we approached the council about the lease and they came back with an offer which was much higher than before. We felt that it was not fair and didn’t take into account what we bring to Cornwall.”

The process stalled due to the Covid-19 pandemic which left the centre, like many museums, concerned about their long term future.

Richard added: “There was no point in signing a 10-year lease and then finding that we would go out of business. When we determined we were safe to go ahead we asked for a lease again and we were confronted with a huge increase. Since then we have been trying to negotiate.”

Cornwall councillor Julian German is a supporter of the museum and said he was trying to encourage council officers to help break the deadlock.

He said: “It is already a great facility and has great potential to become well-known not just as a visitor attraction but as an educational and inspirational place.”

Cornwall Council was asked to comment on the lease negotiations but had not responded at the time of publication.