It was once at the centre of the UK's defence against its adversaries during the Cold War.

But now the building at the RAF Radar Museum in Neatishead is hoping for a brighter future by harnessing the power of the sun.

North Norfolk District Council has granted permission for the museum to install 96 solar panels on the roof of its Grade II-listed concrete Operations Room, known as the Happidrome.

The radar museum buildingsThe radar museum buildings (Image: Google)

The devices will be used to power the site.

An aerial view of the RAF radar museum site in NeatisheadAn aerial view of the RAF radar museum site in Neatishead (Image: Google) In a statement to the council, the museum said that the effect of Covid closures and the cost-of -living crisis had led to fewer visitors and increased costs, with energy being a major drain of resources due to the nature of the site.

The bid had prompted concern from the Twentieth Century Society - a group that campaigns to protect important buildings from the period - that there was not enough evidence presented to prove it would not harm the heritage of the building.

The solar panels will help keep energy costs down for the RAF radar museumThe solar panels will help keep energy costs down for the RAF radar museum (Image: Newsquest)

However, council officers decided that the benefits the solar panels would offer would more than offset any minor harm they would cause to the building's historic character.

The Cold War room at the RAF radar museumThe Cold War room at the RAF radar museum (Image: Newsquest)

FRONTLINE OF DEFENCE

The internationally important Happidrome played a significant role during the Cold War and was at the frontline of the clandestine conflict.

It acts as a time capsule of 1970s computer technology and contains a vast array of devices that were used for missile defence systems.

Scan of the England coastline in the Cold War room at the air defence radar museum at the former RAF NeatisheadScan of the England coastline in the Cold War room at the air defence radar museum at the former RAF Neatishead (Image: Newsquest)

This technology provided early warning systems to help in the event of a Soviet missile attack on the UK.

If this was detected, a 'Survival 25' order would have been immediately sent to all aircraft, calling for them to 'scramble' to prevent them from being caught on the ground by a nuclear strike. 

Nuclear-armed bombers that survived the strike would have been used to retaliate in kind.