Extension granted to building housing Second World War ship undergoing £1m restoration at National Museum of the Royal Navy Hartlepool
Plans have been approved to keep a temporary structure housing a historic Second World War ship ahead of it potentially forming part of a new museum exhibition.
Proposals were previously submitted to Hartlepool Borough Council planning department to keep the temporary building at the National Museum of the Royal Navy currently home to Rescue Motor Launch (RML) 497.
The ship was a purpose-built rescue launch for the Second World War and arrived in Hartlepool in 2019 to be restored.
A temporary building was built to protect it from the elements and to allow works to take place ahead of it being exhibited as part of a planned National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) Hartlepool expansion.
However, the planning permission for the temporary structure expired and proposals were therefore submitted by museum bosses to retain it for a period of “up to five years.”
A planning statement in support of the application outlined how this is needed “to enable the large-scale redevelopment plans to progress to the next stages and to ensure RML 497 remains protected.”
A report from council planning officers has ruled the application “acceptable” and confirmed it has been approved.
A condition as part of this states the building must be removed from the site and the land restored to its former condition on or before May 26 in 2030.
The planning statement noted progress on displaying RML 497 was “significantly hampered” by the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath.
The naval museum acquired the adjacent Vision Retail Park in 2022 with the intention of creating substantial new gallery space to showcase RML 497 and other large scale objects from the museum’s collection.