ROYAL ARTILLERY MUSEUM - COMMUNITY LIAISON GROUP 10 FEBRUARY 2020 RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS FROM ATTENDEES

Other visitors includes free entries, meetings, etc.

 

What are the assumptions made to get to these visitor numbers? 

Our consultants have analysed the offer, and market tested it against likely target audiences. The metrics they have used are not disclosed as they are commercial in confidence. 

 

What is the split of visitors between weekdays and weekends? 

A precise break down of visitors by days is not available, however in common with most family orientated visitor attractions we would expect higher numbers in the summer months, at weekends and during school holidays. 

 

OPERATIONS (INCLUDING EVENTS) 

How many days of the year will the museum open? 

It is currently planned for the museum to be open daily, other than on a small number of holidays such as Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. 

 

Is the break-even point at 35,000 visitors per annum? Does this mean revenue of £420,000 (35,000 x £12)? 

Yes, the break-even point is currently assessed as requiring around 35,000 paying visitors. The suggested revenue figure of £420,000 is not accurate, since not every visitor will pay £12 for entry, and income will be generated through many other avenues (café, shop, meetings etc). 

 

How long can RAM survive if visitor numbers are well short of the target? 

RAM expects to deliver significantly more than the 35,000 paying visitors required to break-even. In the unlikely event that it takes a few years to reach the break-even numbers, it will have sufficient reserves to remain solvent. 

 

Does RAM need re-enactments, equipment displays, armoured vehicle rides, blank firing, immersive experiences, trenches, cafe, playground to be financially viable? 

Yes, the business plan assumes visitor numbers, and hence income, based on the availability of this range of attractions. 

 

Will a business plan highlighting forecasts be part of the planning application pack? 

No, this is not a requirement for the planning application. 

 

How many major events will be held, how big will they be and when will they be held? 

We are planning to hold two or three major events each year, and numbers will be kept relatively low, with daily attendances starting at no more than 1,000 and growing to 3,000 or 4,000. This is below some recent major events on this part of the Plain. The total number of major event visitors is included in the table above. Major events are likely to be held in the summer months. 

 

Is the intention to use the museum as a venue for evening entertaining such as Mess events and parties? Would such events include fireworks displays, and would they be separately licensed by the Council? 

As part of the business plan it is intended to hold occasional corporate/mess social receptions/dinners and lectures in the museum in the evenings. Most of these would be delivered within the building, minimising the impact of any music or other noise. It is not currently planned to have fireworks at such events. Specific licensing for such events is unlikely to be required. 

 

Why did Firepower fail, and why do you think this proposal will succeed? 

The Regiment believes that RAM’s plans will deliver a museum that is financially sustainable in the long term. The new museum will provide a much better visitor experience, with outdoor displays, activities and exhibits that were impossible on the Woolwich site. The new building will allow more of the collection to be displayed, along with a temporary exhibition space and better facilities for visitors, and will also be more efficient to operate. The location offers a more attractive destination for visitors, and allows RAM to tell a broader story, linked to its views over Salisbury Plain. 

Firepower was sited in an unattractive locality and stood in the middle of a building site for almost all of its 15 years existence, and it had to compete with two major military museums with free entry in London. There was little opportunity to bring visits to life with outdoor displays, re-enactments and activities, or immersive experiences such as the planned WW1 trench. It also occupied very old buildings which proved very expensive to heat and maintain, and veteran volunteers were not available in significant numbers. Finally, for much of its lifespan many significant artefacts (including the Railway Gun and much of the Cold War and contemporary collection) were not available as part of the visitor journey. 

 

What if it fails, like Firepower at Woolwich? It is assumed that the site would return to the MOD? 

In the unlikely event that the new museum proves to be unsustainable it is likely that RAM’s lease would end and the site would return to the Army/MOD which would decide on its future use. 

 

TRAFFIC AND ACCESS 

Will the planning application consider the traffic generated by the museum in relation to existing traffic on the A345? Have you considered the traffic implications of providing education/meeting rooms and a lecture theatre at the museum? How many cars, coaches etc do RAM assess will come on site each year? 

A Transport Statement will be submitted with the planning application. This will consider the impact of traffic generated by the museum in relation to the existing traffic flows on the A345. The Transport Statement will consider the traffic generated by all visitors to the museum site (including those using meeting rooms), staff and volunteers, etc. 

 

Who carried out the RAM traffic survey, when and where? 

The traffic survey was carried out at 3 locations on the A345 (south of Upavon, south of Netheravon and north of the Countess Roundabout) over 7 days in October 2018 by PFA Consulting. The results of this survey will be included in the Transport Statement. 

 

Have there been early discussions with the Wiltshire Council highways team? How will Wiltshire Council measure traffic statistics to ensure accurate results? 

The RAM team has had early discussions with the Wiltshire Council highways team, and are revising both the Transport Statement and the design of the site entrance in response to the comments received. Wiltshire Council’s highways team will test the Transport Statement to ensure that it provides a proper assessment of the likely impact based on its detailed knowledge of the local road network, but RAM is unable to comment on the specific methods which it will use. 

 

Will it affect people using the A345 for daily commuting? 

The impact on commuters will be limited as the museum will open at 10am (after the morning rush hour), and close at 5pm. 

 

Would the location of the entry point to the site not be determined by Wiltshire Council rather than by RAM (having consulted with villagers)? Will it not be very dangerous with traffic travelling at 50mph? 

Having undertaken an assessment of the site, and consultation with Wiltshire Council and local communities, RAM will submit a proposed design for the site entrance in its planning application. Wiltshire Council will determine if this is acceptable (or make alternative recommendations) when it considers the planning application. 

 

Is the proposed entrance cheaper to construct than the alternatives? Who pays for the new junction? 

The proposed design, which must comply with regulations regarding siting, construction and safety, includes a right-turn lane for vehicles arriving from the north, and is more expensive than the simple junction originally considered. RAM expects to pay for the junction. 

 

Is the proposed junction at the existing lay-by? 

No, it is at the south east corner of the site, north of the lay-by. 

 

What improvements to the A345 will there be other than at the site entrance (including to the dangerous bus stop)? 

RAM will improve the bus stop which is situated closest to the site entrance on the western side of the A345, and will cut back parts of the grass bank to significantly improve visibility for road users and pedestrians. RAM can only deliver improvements within its site boundary. It is not within its power to make other changes to the A345 (although it would support efforts to reduce the speed limit on the section of road from Netheravon to Figheldean) or to the bus stop on the eastern side of the road. 

 

Should the project receive planning approval could the speed limit on this stretch [of the A345] be reduced to 30/40mph? 

RAM would support local councillors’ efforts to get the speed limit reduced on the A345 between Netheravon and Figheldean, but the decision on this will rest with Wiltshire Council. 

 

What is the maximum car and coach parking on the site? 

The number of car and coach spaces is still being finalised, and will be set out in the planning application and Transport Statement. 

 

Will the project result in Avon Camp East becoming isolated, with no access for the Army onto the Plain? What are the Army’s plans for Avon Camp East? 

RAM’s lease will exclude the route that already runs along the northern boundary of the site, and this will provide continued access for the Army between Avon Camp East and the Plain, as well as access to the buildings used by Landmarc. The Army has indicated that it is yet to determine the future use of Avon Camp East but it plans to retain it in its portfolio. RAM understands that in the immediate future it is going to be used as the base for Salisbury Plain’s ash dieback extraction project. 

 

Will a Right of Way be created along the River Avon to provide a pedestrian route between the villages of Netheravon and Figheldean? 

RAM’s proposals are focussed exclusively on the Avon Camp West site. It is not seeking any land to the east of the A345, or the opening up of any Rights of Way there. 

 

ENVIRONMENT 

Will the museum building be visible from the A345? Will there be trees in front of the building to make it less visible? 

Minimising the impact on the local landscape is part of our design brief. The functional building style is not dissimilar to many existing military and farm buildings on the Plain, and it is proposed to site it on an area which currently includes an unattractive, disused vehicle washdown. As a result of feedback from local

residents and other stakeholders, we have made a number of changes to reduce the visual impact of the building, including: 

• Moving the building closer to the tree line; 
• Dropping the ground floor level of the building by around a metre ;
• Reducing the area of the top floor by around 75%;
• Removing the “gun barrel” feature proposed in previous designs;
• Utilising green cladding material which will blend in with the landscape;
• Introducing additional banking and planting to help screen the building, parking area and vehicles on the site.

The proposed designs make use of existing trees and new landscaping and planting to reduce the visual impact of both the building and car park, however, it will still be visible from limited sections of the A345. 

 

What about noise? Can RAM provide details of expected noise levels and when these would occur (time of year, day of the week, time of day)? 

Taking into account existing noise conditions (including nearby artillery, mortar and rifle/machine gun ranges, helicopter and fast jet flights, and the movement of armoured vehicles in the area), it is highly unlikely that the proposed museum will result in a significant additional noise impact. It is likely that blank artillery firing and other re-enactment noise would peak during the middle of event days in the summer. On other days such noise would be very limited. 

 

Is it still assumed that there is no requirement for an air quality survey? 

Yes, RAM is not aware of any Wiltshire Council concerns over air quality in the vicinity of the A345 in the Avon Valley, and the development of the museum is not expected to change this. It is a local authority responsibility to monitor air quality and report on it to DEFRA on an annual basis. Air quality in Wiltshire is predominantly very good with the majority of the county having clean, unpolluted air. The maximum pollution level measured in the county is Low (Index 2 (of 10)) at locations in city or town centres where pollutants can become “trapped” – even at this level its effects are “unlikely to be noticed by those who are sensitive to air pollution”.¹

 

Given contemporary public concerns about traffic pollution and its contribution to climate change, why is RAM proposing a facility and site which will increase it? 

It is anticipated that any increase in pollution on the A345 will be small, even in relation to the existing low levels in this area, and would be more than offset by the rapid rise in the use of electric vehicles. National Grid predictions indicate that the number of such vehicles in the UK could rise from 200,000 (0.5%) in 2018 to between 2.7 and 10.6 million by 2030 (c7 to 25%). Furthermore, for those who are already planning to visit a Wiltshire destination (such as Stonehenge) and are adding on a visit to the proposed museum, the impact of additional pollution in the county will be negligible. 

 

What exactly does additional banking and planting mean? 

In response to the public consultations, plans for banking and planting along the southern edge of the site have been expanded, both horizontally and vertically. As well as being ecologically beneficial this will provide greater screening of the museum site (and especially the car park) from the A345 and the highest parts of Figheldean village. 

 

Cars driving in and out of the museum will be very visible from Figheldean. 

The access route from the A345 to the car park will be partly visible from the highest ground in Figheldean.

 

That part of the Plain is pitch black now and will no longer be, especially in winter and when there are evening events. 

Although it is unavoidable that there will be some increase in light levels on the site, this will be minimised through the use of non-intrusive security lighting/measures wherever possible. In reality much of the site has experienced light pollution from the existing lighting in the FOB and Landmarc buildings. 

 

The Army noise profile, accepted by local residents, is mostly Monday to Friday. RAM firing will be mostly at weekends (is this correct) removing the peaceful period currently enjoyed by residents. How will RAM plan to manage the diminishing tolerance to continuous firing noise pollution? 

Noise generated by the museum will occur at various times during the week depending on the programme of activities and events. Where blank rounds are used these will be generally at the lower end of the noise scale (compared to those used on ceremonial duties in London). The noise is expected to be significantly less intrusive than the live artillery firing, helicopter and fast jet activity which is currently experienced in this area. As live artillery firing continues to reduce on the Plain it is likely that, even taking into account museum generated noise, the overall noise levels in the area will continue to decline. 

 

What pre-planning environmental and ecological assessments are required? 

RAM is currently undertaking ecological surveys to determine what flora and fauna are present on the area, and this information will be included with our planning application. We will be proposing measures to 

minimise the impact on wildlife and enhance the site where possible, including the provision of banking for burrowing animals, new planting, a number of bird boxes and the creation of new meadow grassland from arable land. 

 

What measures will be put in place to compensate for the loss of biodiversity arising from the build? 

The areas “under concrete” on Avon Camp West will not increase substantially due to the build as significant sections of existing structures (washdown, road etc) will be removed. Existing trees and hedges will be retained wherever possible. Biodiversity on the north western part of the site will be increased as the area is moved from arable back to chalk grassland creating an enhanced space for indigenous plants and animals. 

 

BUILD PROJECT 

What is the expected timeline from planning application submission to opening in spring 2022? How long would construction of the initial capital project take? 

The key periods would be (roughly): planning application determination 3 months, construction 12 months (but dependent on contractor appointed), fit-out 6 months. 

 

Have all funds been raised for the initial capital project? 

Yes, just over £8m has been secured for this phase of the museum. 

 

How can the SWLEP allocate £1.35m without an up to date OBC? What due diligence has the SWLEP actually carried out? 

These are questions for the LEP, not RAM. 

 

What is the capacity of the Harefield Sewage Works? How often are overflow permits breached? 

These are questions for Wessex Water, not RAM 

 

Water management – has this been considered? Who is paying for this? Water pipes within Avon Camp East are cracked. 

The responsibility for all services in Avon Camp East rests with the DIO. 

 

LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND BENEFITS 

How many staff and volunteers does the museum intend to employ?