Royal Air Force museum bosses defend parking charges move for Grahame Park site (From Times Series)

Royal Air Force museum bosses defend parking charges move for Grahame Park site

5:30pm Wednesday 10th March 2010

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MUSEUM bosses have been forced to bring in parking charges because a lack of future grant funding.

A decision has been made by the trustees of the RAF museum, in Grahame Park Way, to bring in charges of up to £3.50 to park on the site.

John Kitchen, operations director at the museum, said the move comes as they struggle to balance a reduction in levels of funding with being able to maintain the same level of attraction to visitors.

He said the board had met to discuss options for how to bring in extra money and said the changes to parking rules at the Grahame Park site follows a trial at the Cosford site, in Shropshire.

“We are not getting the level of grant aid to sustain the museum as it is, and we needed to examine all the options open to us,” he said.

“We had some reservations initially about charging at the Cosford site, but the public reaction does not seem to have been at all adverse.

“It has proved very successful and we have decided to extend it to London.”

The money generated will go towards the running costs of the museum, which was opened in Grahame Park in 1972.

It will cost £2.50 to park for up to three hours and £3.50 for three-six hours parking.

Mr Kitchen hopes the visitor numbers to the site will not suffer as there are good transport links in the area and entry to the exhibits will remain free.

He said: “If we don't do this we will be in a position where we cannot keep open all the exhibitions and may have to close some of the buildings to the public.

“The level of grant aid has not been enough to support the level of operation in the museum. It is important to us that we keep everything open and as many people as possible get to see the collections.”

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