St. Modwen 30 Years : A Generation of Regeneration 1 | Page 62

ST. MODWEN | A GENERATION OF REGENERATION | ST. ANDREW’S PARK, UXBRIDGE

Located on the outskirts of Uxbridge Town Centre,
the site of the former RAF base was built around
Hillingdon House whose history dates back to
1717. The original building was burnt down and
in its place the current Grade II listed house
was erected in 1844. In World War I it became a
military hospital and by the end of the war a Royal
Air Force Station had been set up in the grounds.
In World War II RAF Uxbridge played a crucial role
in the Battle of Britain. The underground bunker,
built on the site in a matter of months is itself an
engineering feat, and was the home of Fighter
Command No.11 Group from 1939. It was central
to the operation of the successful air battle that
was directed from the bunker and it remained
operational until 1958.
Hillingdon House also continued as a central part
of RAF Uxbridge until the station formally closed
on 31 March 2010, ending 95 years of continuous
military service.

VSM, a partnership between St. Modwen and
VINCI, was appointed by the MoD in 2006 as
the principal contractor for ‘project MoDEL’.
This project involved the relocation of six
London-based MoD units from former RAF
sites in Hillingdon (Eastcote, Uxbridge and
West Ruislip), Harrow (Bentley Priory) and
Barnet (Inglis Barracks in Mill Hill) to an
integrated site at RAF Northolt.
VSM was charged with delivering the new
MoD facilities at RAF Northolt as well as
securing planning consent for six redundant
sites available for disposal and development
for residential, commercial and community uses.
VSM has retained the sites at both Uxbridge
and Mill Hill and is now transforming both into
new, residential-led mixed-use communities.

Yet the closing of one chapter was the catalyst to
the opening of a new, more public and community
focused future.

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