Millionaire US philanthropist, Peter Mullin, has once again submitted updated plans to turn an airfield in Oxfordshire into a large classic car museum. The businessman had been forced to amend his previous plans after drawing criticism and objections from residents.
The plans included a holiday lodge complex with the museum, with funds from the development to go towards restoring Tew Park House, which is located on the 4,000 acre Great Tew Estate.
The Ambitions of a Classic Car Collector
Mullin is known for being an avid collector of classic cars, with his extensive collection including one of the rarest and most valuable cars in the world, a Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic. His plans for the museum aim to share his collection with the British public, in order to inspire and educate future generations.
The original proposal was for the museum to take up 160 acres of land and include around 200 cars, with the earliest models having been produced in the 1920s. Now the revised plans have outlined that the Mullin Automotive Park will be spread across 132 acres instead. The site will include a restaurant and cafe, with the aim to attract a hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Only those able to loan cars to the museum will be eligible to take advantage of the 28 luxury holiday lodges that are also planned to be built.
Objections from residents
Many residents have raised their own criticisms, concerns and objections to the proposed classic car museum, including actor Sir Patrick Stewart who lives nearby. The majority have drawn particular attention to the lack of affordable homes on the proposed site at Enstone Airfield, stating that the county needs focus on the homes for families instead.
Despite the hundreds of complaints, the philanthropist has stated in a letter to the council, that he has “…taken very seriously the genuine concerns’ of the planning department and local communities. Part of the proposals now involves an investment of £1.7million for housing, community and environmental projects, and a car park for primary school.
