Harrier to land on roundabout
A council is set to spend £20,000 on installing an RAF Harrier jump jet on a major roundabout to commemorate the link between airmen and the community.
Leader of the council Judith Dalgarno will ask her cabinet to accept the gift, from RAF Stafford - currently sited at the MoD Stafford site - and apply for planning permission to move it to Falklands Gardens - on the roundabout on Gaol Square.
The move will cost the council £20,000, the cost of transporting and positioning the jump jet on blocks in a fenced, landscaped area which would be floodlit at night.
If plans are passed the aircraft will face down the main street and the council hope to position it to be inaccessible to potential vandals.
Mrs Dalgarno believes that the GR3 jet will be 'a lasting and visible symbol of the long association between the borough community and the Royal Air Force'.
She will argue at a meeting of the cabinet next Tuesday, that the investment is justified as it will help the council meet one of its corporate priorities - enhancing the street scene at a prominent town centre location.
She said: "I hope that members back this plan. I think that it is very fitting as the RAF has been a part of Stafford Borough for a very long time.
"The biggest problem we are facing is that this could become a target for vandals - but we are looking at ways that we could position it to stop this happening.
"We are very grateful to the MoD for giving this plane to us and I am sure it is something that the people of Stafford will want to keep."
The RAF left Stafford, after 70 years in the town in March this year and the Chief Executive of the council David Rawlings approached the MoD to ask if it would gift the jet to the community.
The Disposal Services Agency agreed - on the condition that it be consulted on its site and location and that an appropriate plaque detailing the aircraft's history is put in place. The council is hoping to have the jet in place in time for the Falklands anniversary next year.
A fascinating collection of military aircraft, including Spitfires, First World War propellers, and German bombs from the Second World War remain at MoD Stafford despite RAF personnel leaving the site.
The Museum Reserve Collection looks after around 100,000 exhibits which are not on display at the RAF museums in Cosford or Hendon.
It arrived at No 6 Site at RAF Stafford six years ago and, thanks to a long term lease, it is safe for at least another 20 years. The Museum Reserve Collection is a storage facility and is not open to the public, unless by special appointment.
