Today Brooklands Museum preserves the heritage of this unique site by the preservation of 33 acres of the original site - including the spectacular Members' Banking and displays of motoring and aviation exhibits. The museum now has 115,000 visitors a year and hosts major events such as the Classic Monte Carlo Rally start each January. Hard hit by the November 2000 floods which cause £2 million damage, the Museum staff and volunteers are working hard to restore its displays.

But the Museum is now under threat from another quarter. In early 2001 Prudential bought the adjacent site within the original track boundary on the South border of the historic Brooklands Auto Racing Club site. Their developers, Helical Bar plc, have a £200 million plan to erect 5 office blocks. Reviving a 13 year old planning permission given before the Museum opened, Helical Bar aim to start work just as soon as Elmbridge Borough Council can be persuaded to approve reserved matters. With gross profits of £43.5 million in 2000 they dwarf Brooklands Museum financially.

Said Museum Director Designate, Michael Phillips: "We are not against the development. But we are very worried about these plans to build office blocks in a flood plain, in the Brooklands Conservation Area, overlooking our listed and historic buildings."

The proposed office blocks will overlook the Campbell Circuit and the historic motoring village. The major impact will be from the double-decked car park at the Campbell Circuit and the three storey building D, which is next to the Museum boundary.

The Museum, the Brooklands Society and the Brooklands Conservation Area Advisory Committee all objected to the plan when it came before the Elmbridge Borough West Area Planning Sub Committee on 15th January. Since then the developers have conceded some reduction in car parking, moved Building D away from the Museum by the length of one London bus and offered landscaping. But it will take years for trees to grow high enough to hide their proposed three storey buildings.

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