A GROUP has shelved plans for a Bomber Command museum in Bicester after failing to secure the site they wanted.

Last month the Ministry of Defence announced the flying field site at RAF Bicester had been sold to Bicester Heritage Ltd. It plans to create a motor and aviation business park.

Rival bidder charity Bomber Command Heritage had campaigned for the past eight years to turn it into a an education centre celebrating the history of the Second World War’s Bomber Command.

The charity had been in talks with the new owner about using some of the site. But chairman Dean Overton said both organisations had different aims for the site that were not compatible because it wanted to focus on aviation and the new owner on motor heritage.

He said there would also be complications over raising cash to restore buildings as it would not own them.

Now BCH has decided to shelve its plans for the site and also taken a swipe at the MOD.

Mr Overton said the former base could have been a “unique” tourist attraction attracting visitors from across the globe.

He said: “As the last intact RAF bomber station with a rich history, Bicester was such a unique site and the last viable opportunity to do finally something on a befitting scale for the much-neglected subject of RAF Bomber Command and the British and Commonwealth effort and sacrifice, including the true costs and consequences of such warfare.

“It is just unfortunate that for some reason the MoD was blinkered to this heritage, and seemingly just went for maximum receipts in our opinion.”

He claimed MOD restrictions over the site and in the bidding process had blocked publicity which could have resulted in large donations to the project. He said the group also had to turn down offers from the national press to run fund raising appeals.

Mr Overton said: “As an organisation working purely for the benefit of the public, BCH was the only bidder who relied on the resources that the media and general public could contribute, so this was a critical handicap.”

But he said the plans had not been permanently shelved, just “put on ice”.

Mr Overton said: “We owe it to all those people who got involved in this project to not give up.

“Maybe there’s another site, or maybe if this site doesn’t work out for Bicester Heritage in a few years’ time there maybe another opportunity.

“But at this moment in time we are putting it on ice.”

Bicester Heritage managing director Daniel Geoghegan, said the door remained open.

He said: “Partial use of the site doesn’t fulfil their objective, and that was a matter for them.

“We found discussions very open and positive. Of course the door is still open.”

The MOD was unavailable for comment.