A WELL-ATTENDED public consultation in Alton provided an opportunity to view outline plans for a single storey museum, displaying Cold War era artefacts.

To be located at Keepers Lodge on the A339 Alton to Basingstoke Road at Beech, the public have until tomorrow (Friday) to comment on the proposal which could result in the first museum of its kind in the country.

While the application has received support from 114 people welcoming the educational aspect of the proposal, there are 11 objections on grounds of impact on the local ecology, and questioning if this is the right place for such a provision in terms of parking and traffic management.

The proposed museum would document much of the military aspect of the period, from Winston Churchill’s speech on March 5, 1946, when he stated that “... an Iron Curtain has descended...” to 1991, when the USSR was in turmoil and the Cold War was drawing to an end.

The aim would be to exhibit a large collection of Soviet and British military vehicles, alongside displays of military uniforms, weapons, engines, artefacts and memorabilia from the time.

It would also show what civilian domestic life was like in the 1950s and 1960s. The proposal includes a library, a cafe and a shop.

To comment on the plans search for reference 27887/010 at: www.easthants.gov.uk