Derelict WW2 control tower to become holiday let

A derelict former World War Two RAF building is to be redeveloped as a holiday let.

New Forest District Council has granted planning permission to convert the former RAF Ibsley control tower near Ringwood, Hampshire.

The former airfield was a station for Spitfires and US fighter-bombers, as well as being a film set for the 1942 war film The First of the Few.

The Landmark Trust said it would restore the building to its "1940s glory" while adapting it as self-catering holiday accommodation for up to eight guests.

The airfield, which opened in 1941 and closed in 1947, was mainly used by RAF fighters involved in raids on shipping and bomber escort duties.

The control tower, or watch office, is on the edge of Mockbeggar Lake, a former post-war gravel pit.

Several flooded pits now form the Blashford Lakes nature reserve, an important wildlife habitat.

Previously, Natural England said the development could harm important wetland, but withdrew its objection following offers of mitigation.

The council granted planning approval after hearing the historical building was "at risk of total loss due to its state of disrepair".

The Landmark Trust, which rescues at-risk historic buildings and turns them into holiday lets, said the structure was a "patchwork of risks" with "rapidly collapsing ceilings".

The charity said it would start work this year to transform the tower, which it is leasing from the Ellingham Estate.

It said: "The 1940s layout and wartime decorative schemes will be respected.

"Special events, offering free public access, will be offered, alongside online interpretation, to share the story of the Watch Office and its history."

The First of the Few, starring Lesie Howard and David Niven, included flying sequences performed by World War Two pilots at the base.

The film, designed to boost wartime morale, tells the story of Spitfire designer RJ Mitchell.

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