Plan for Black Arrow rocket tribute on Isle of Wight launched

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-29904121

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An Isle of Wight space enthusiast has launched an effort to build a full sized replica of the UK's pioneering space rocket.

Black Arrow was tested near the Needles before it launched the Prospero satellite in 1971.

Richard Curtis from Binstead has submitted a plan to landowners the National Trust for a 40ft (12m) replica at its original High Down testing site.

The trust has said the plan posed "significant conservation problems".

Mr Curtis, who works in the construction industry, said it would celebrate the island's space heritage and boost local tourism.

'Missing piece'

He estimates the project to build a replica of the 40ft (12m) rocket and gantry would cost about £75,000, raised through sponsorship.

Mr Curtis said: "The proposal is really to add the missing piece from the jigsaw that would give visitors a sense of the size of the rockets that were tested there."

The old rocket testing site is located on chalk downland which is now a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

A National Trust spokesman said: "We would have concerns about compromising the wildness of the headland.

"There would also be significant conservation problems associated with this proposal given the hostile environment of the site."

The Isle of Wight's rockets