Aircraft need to be stored in buildings which provide a significant level of protection from the weather and other environmental hazards which could damage them and render them unsafe to fly.
This is where temporary steel hangers fulfil a vital purpose, They provide a significant space free from posts and columns where an aircraft and any resources required to maintain and repair it can be stored securely.
Most of the time, these are used to store small planes used by hobbyists, enthusiasts and small-scale aviation businesses, as well as providing extra space for storage for air shows and meet-ups.
However, one aviation museum took full advantage of the potential of modular, temporary hangars to help preserve aviation history when all hope appeared lost.
Saving Salisbury Hall
The de Havilland Aircraft Museum in Hertfordshire has been an important part of the history of aviation since it was first opened in 1959.
Based at the Grade II* listed Salisbury Hall, the de Havilland Aircraft Museum initially relied on the existing buildings and outdoor area to store exhibits, but as the museum shifted in focus from a curiosity for aeroplane enthusiasts and planespotters to a visitor-focused attraction, the existing space they had was not enough.
To this end, they applied for planning permission to develop an outdoor area with two additional hangars to store its growing collection of aircraft and historic components.
This was granted on a temporary basis with a temporary hangar and according to the BBC, the main hangar was completed in 2020.
Saving Aviation History
However, this still turned out not to be enough space and the outdoor area and temporary hangar needed to remain in use.
This would ordinarily not be an issue except for the location of the site; as Salisbury Hall was a listed building and since the field the aircraft were displayed on was Green Belt land, a protected form of natural land that typically cannot be developed on.
This made changing the outdoor display that de Havilland Aircraft Museum had relied on more difficult to get approval for, and as a BBC and Local Democracy Reporting Service article revealed, the outdoor section and temporary hangar were operating without planning permission.
Whilst this was technically illegal, the Museum applied for retroactive planning permission under a very special circumstances (VSC) clause.
In some ways fitting for a historic aviation site, the argument the museum made was that it was in a Catch-22 situation; it had received lottery funding for a permanent main hangar and the overall development of the site, but to provide the full curated experience it needed the temporary permission to become permanent.
Were the application to be rejected and the temporary hangar dismantled, the museum would be unable to provide the experience that it was obligated to and that had proven popular in the area.
Ultimately, this mercifully became a moot point, as the temporary hangar and the outdoor space surrounding it was approved, with the decision noting that whilst it would be considered inappropriate development, the VSCs outweigh any potential harm to Green Belt land.
This means that a temporary steel hangar, initially erected to allow for the construction of a large permanent one, can be retained and help to preserve aviation history for generations to come.
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