аЯрЁБс>ўџ LNўџџџKџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС јПО8bjbjрр 2R‚j‚jО4џџџџџџlЂЂЂЂЂЂЂЖЦЦЦЦ вTЖл ь2 (Z Z Z Z Z Z Z ~ € € € € € € Ч чL€ ЂZ Z Z Z Z € м ЂЂZ Z • м м м Z .ЂZ ЂZ ~ м Z ~ м ўм к ЂЂк Z &  ї7!`oЪЖЦˆ к к ЄЋ 0л к 3ˆ T3к м ЖЖЂЂЂЂйBULLETIN 6 The importance of 4 Hamilton Place The location and the building The Royal Aeronautical Society and its library are the oldest aeronautical institution and library in the world. They both have a proud history and, as with most other leaned societies, they have been housed together throughout their lives. For almost half this period, 70 out of 143 years, they have been at Hamilton Place. The Society is recognised internationally for the contribution it and its members have made to aeronautics. Throughout its life it has promoted the exchange of information through conferences and publications and contributed to the development of policy and technical standards through the work of its committees. Virtually all the great British figures in aeronautics and many from overseas have been members of the Society and a great many of them have served on its Council, many as President. Having its headquarters in London W1, within easy reach of Government departments and in the national communications hub, has undoubtedly been important to the role and influence of the Society. Participation in Society activity by industry, universities, national laboratories, Whitehall departments and visitors from overseas would all have been substantially less if the Society headquarters had not been in London. This remains the case today and the same is true for nearly all the other major professional institutions. The fact that we occupy such a fine building is also an important advantage. Visitors, particularly those from overseas, are generally impressed, as are students and young people who come to the Society for the first time. When the possibility of relinquishing the lease on 4 Hamilton Place was discussed in 2000, figures at the top of the industry made it very clear that they regarded the building as one of the Society’s key assets. Moving out of the building would have an effect on their future support for the Society. Over the past decade there has been an appreciable expenditure on maintaining and improving the building, partly from Society revenue and partly from generous sponsors. Notable among these are Boeing and Airbus, who have respectively funded improvements in the lecture theatre and created a suite of meeting rooms in the basement. The Society’s occupancy of the building The Society took a lease on 4 Hamilton Place in March 1939. Owned by the Crown Estate, its previous occupant, on first leasing the property in 1903, had torn down the existing building and replaced it with a new one modelled on the house next door, No. 5. One of the motives of the Society in moving from its previous premises in Albermarle Street, Piccadilly was to find space for its expanding library. In the late 1950s the Society launched a major appeal for funds to improve the building and as a result was able build a lecture theatre at the rear of the building and add a fifth floor. The lecture theatre was opened in 1960 and the lease was extended to 2004. In 1979 a new 80-year lease was taken out, running until 2059. In 1995, at a time when the lease was 16 years old and had a further 64 years to run, the Finance Board made an assessment of the decline in its value over the remainder of its life. On the premise that the Society intended to remain at Hamilton Place indefinitely, the Board recommended to Council that a sinking fund be established to enable the Society either to renew the lease or purchase the freehold at some future date. It also obtained a professional assessment of the long-term maintenance costs of the building and in 1996 the Council adopted a long term financial plan which included provision both for building maintenance and for a sinking fund to renew the lease. The Finance Board projected that the best opportunity for lease renewal or freehold purchase would be between 2010 and 2020. In 2000 there was a review of the Society’s future occupancy of the building. Our main industrial supporters came out emphatically in favour of the Society staying at 4 Hamilton Place and committed funds which enabled the annual contribution to the sinking fund to be doubled in 2001. In 2003 the target contribution to the fund was increased to Ѓ150k and held at this level in following years, with the result that by the beginning of 2009, when the opportunity to purchase the freehold unexpectedly arose, more than Ѓ1M had been put aside. As a result, in March 2009, 70 years after coming to Hamilton Place in order to find room for the growing library, with the coming to fruition of a strategy adopted by the Council in 1996, the Society acquired the freehold of its headquarters building. It was a momentous occasion. Gaining a building and losing a headquarters? It is ironic that, within less than a month of the purchase of the freehold, it had been decided to move the Library and Careers Centre to Farnborough in order to rent out the space to an outside organisation. The irony is heightened by the fact that the move to Hamilton Place in 1939 was largely occasioned by the need to find more room for the Society Library. In the October 2009 issue of The Aerospace Professional the Chief Executive, in a Q & A on the National Aerospace Library, was asked the question, “Are these moves the first stage in moving out of Hamilton Place altogether and simply using it to generate income for the Society?” His reply to this was, “No they are not. I have always argued that a HQ in central London is essential for a global organisation such as ours and therefore I do not see the present moves in that way. Indeed, I cannot think of any other departments that would benefit from moving out of Hamilton Place. However, a balance needs to be struck between the functions that should stay in London and the ones that could be provided more effectively and efficiently outside the capital. Many engineering institutions already have their HQs outside London. A number of others who, like us, feel that a London base is essential nonetheless try to maximise income from their London bases.....” It is true that the building now makes an important contribution to Society income. Over the past decade annual income has been increased from around Ѓ250,000 to around Ѓ900,000, a reflection of the success of the Chief Executive in promoting the building to outside customers. The style of promotion can be seen on the 4HP website at  HYPERLINK "http://www.4hp.org.uk" http://www.4hp.org.uk. We fully recognise that in today’s world the appropriate use the building as a source of income is a right and necessary thing to do, provided that this does not adversely affect the provision of services to members. There have, however, been instances in the recent past where commercial interests have been allowed to override members’ interests. In the paper that we submitted to the Council meeting on 7 September we said, “At the end of this affair, we urge the Council to redefine policy on the balance between membership and financial interests and establish procedures to ensure that the policy is followed consistently.” As reported in the October issue of The Aerospace Professional, the Council has put this task on the Advisory Committee. However, the logic of the Chief Executive’s argument about department locations is questionable, to say the least. The Library and the Careers Centre are the two ‘front office’ activities that have the most face-to-face contact with Society members and which therefore need to be centrally located in the national travel hub. If these two in particular are judged not to need to be in Hamilton Place, it might be argued that there is a case for moving most of, possibly all, the other functions out and treating the building as a cash cow. We believe this would be a disastrous route for the Society to take, but vacating space on the third floor in order to generate rental income is a first step on to that slippery slope. Other professional engineering institutions The quotation above from the Chief Executive prays in evidence other engineering institutions. It is worth looking at the information available to gain an insight into the policy of the other main institutions. Of the 36 institutions licensed by the Engineering Council to register professional engineers, 18 have their headquarters in London. Half of these, the nine oldest, maintain substantial libraries. The table below lists the institutions and shows their size and the percentage of their library stock that is housed in their headquarters building. Institutionfoundedmembers% lib stock in HQInstitution of Civil Engineers181979,500100Institution of Mechanical Engineers184780,000100Institution of Engineering and Technology1880150,000100Institution of Structural Engineers190823,500100Royal Institution of Naval Architects18608,000100Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology188915,000 100Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining1869 19,000100 ( 50Energy Institute200313,500100Royal Aeronautical Society186616,500100 ( 25 ( 1 With the exception of the Energy Institute, formed in 2003 by a merger, all the other institutions or their antecedent organisations are over 100 years old. Seven of the nine occupy distinguished buildings of a similar age to 4 Hamilton Place, located within a kilometre of St James’s Park. All have important libraries that claim to have the best collection in their field in the UK. All also have important historical archives. With two exceptions, all hold their entire library stock in their headquarters building, though with typically less than 50% in their reading room. The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, which has three regional offices in the North of England, has recently moved the less used half of its collection to its Grantham office. From 2005 the RAeS progressively moved material from the basement to Farnborough so that by 2009 what remained in the working library was about 25% of the stock – the material of greatest interest to library users. This has now been reduced to around 1%, the unique and very valuable historical material that will not move to Farnborough until secure accommodation is available there. The Merlin Room now holds duplicates of material held at Farnborough. The table shows three large and six medium-sized institutions. With the exception of the RAeS, all the medium-sized institutions have all their essential functions in their headquarters. The IMechE has its finance department in St Albans and its membership department is outsourced. In the case of the IET, which is by far the largest institution, it did in fact move part of its library out of London more than fifteen years ago, only to move it back a few years later. Now, almost the entire headquarters operation is at Stevenage, with the headquarters in Savoy Place reserved for the library, conference and membership activities The other institutions clearly believe in keeping their entire operation in one building if possible and recognise the importance to members of the library being a part of the headquarters. The news of the RAeS move has surprised the librarians of the other institutions. All that were consulted volunteered, without prompting, the opinion that the biggest losers would be those visiting HQ for conferences, lectures and meetings, not just those visiting the library solely for research. Displacing membership services by alien bodies The action of moving out the Library and Careers Centre in order to create space to rent to an unrelated outside body is unique to the Society. No other institution has done this. We believe it is not what the members or the companies that support the Society would want. The fact that these important services to members have been removed to make room for the staff of a casino is a further issue on which many supporters of the requisition clearly feel very strongly. There seems little doubt that the approach from the casino seeking more space for office staff was associated with their decision to create the Red Room as reported in the Sunday Times ( HYPERLINK "http://www.newlib.co.uk/html/_st_article_11_10_09.html" ST Article 11/10/09). It will rankle with many members, and outrage some, that our Library has been moved out of our headquarters to enable the next door casino to introduce its Red Room Girls. We do not think this is an appropriate action for a registered charity and learned society operating under a Royal Charter. Further, there is the question of the Charter. Clause 4 of the Charter lists actions that the Society is expected to take in furtherance of its objects and purposes, culminating in Clause 4(i): “to do all other things incidental or conducive to the attainment of the Society’s objects, provided always that no part of the property or funds of the Society shall be applied for other than charitable objects.” It is the opinion of a Fellow of the Society, who is also member of the Bar, that it is repugnant to this clause in the Charter to enter into a long-term arrangement to rent space in 4 Hamilton Place to a non-charitable organisation. He put this proposition to the Chief Executive and President some weeks ago. 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