A NEW aerospace museum based at Filton could get off the ground soon if a proposed contribution is approved.

Bristol mayor George Ferguson has recommended the planned museum receive £500,000 from the City Council as part of its annual budget setting process.

The aerospace museum and learning centre has already received planning permission for its proposed site at Filton and will serve as a permanent home to the world famous Concorde, close to where it was first built.

“Following support at Full Council and a specific request by the Conservative group and approaches by regional MPs and the leader of South Gloucestershire, I am delighted to announce this proposal to help fund the construction of the Bristol Aerospace museum and learning centre,” said Mayor Ferguson.

“As the last resting place of the Concorde and a supreme record of Bristol’s Aerospace industry, the museum has the potential to be a major boost for tourism, education and the local economy.”

Ever since the Bristol Aeroplane Company was founded in 1910, the region has been the birth place of a series of great feats of aerospace engineering, most recently with the creation of the Airbus.

The site is also still used as a base for large engineering firms such as BAE Systems and Rolls Royce.

City councillors approved a motion in September this year which asked for the city to lend its support to the venture. Having had many conversations about the possibility of a contribution, the mayor is now proposing this capital donation as part of the council’s annual budget setting process.

Mayor Ferguson added: “The Bristol region has long been a home for the British aerospace industry and it is only right that we pull together now with our partner authority, South Gloucestershire, and make the most of this great opportunity. 

“After much hard work I am glad to say that we can now show Bristol’s commitment to the project and to working cooperatively across administrative borders.”