Greenham Common tower visitor centre plans submitted

Greenham Parish Council received £421,555 from the government to buy and refurbish the control tower

Plans to transform a disused Cold War airbase control tower into a visitor centre have taken a step forward.

The Grade II-listed tower on the edge of Greenham Common in Berkshire has been disused since the base closed in 1993.

Greenham Parish Council, which received £421,555 from the government to buy and refurbish it, has submitted a planning application to West Berkshire Council.

Proposals include providing exhibition and office space, and a cafe.

The project is a partnership between the parish council, Greenham Common Community Trust, voluntary organisations, colleges, and Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.

Greenham Common was the site of protests in the 1980s when US cruise missiles were based there

Part of the office space at the 1950s tower is expected to be occupied by the trust.

The base was the focus for anti-nuclear protests when US cruise missiles were located there in the 1980s.

Following the airbase's closure, Greenham Common became a public open space in 2000 and is now home to a nature reserve and business park.