THE owners of dozens of vintage vans, buses and railway carriages say a unique part of history in the borough is being lost because of a decision to sell the land on which they are parked.

The Pump House, in South Access Road, Walthamstow, has a wide variety of historic vehicles in its main yard, but most are being removed in the next few weeks after owner Waltham Forest Council sold part of the site.

The sale was part of a deal which granted the museum a 30-year lease for the rest of the site.

Management at the museum, which showcases the borough's industrial history, said the deal was essential to ensure its future, but critics claim it has done more harm than good.

Peter Quinton, 62, of Wood Street in Walthamstow, has been storing and maintaining six classic vehicles at the yard for the past eight years.

He said: “A lot of people are very upset about it.

“The yard has always been a massive part of the museum. It is used for events and the vehicles are part of what attracts people here.

“The museum could have been developed along with the yard - this is one of the biggest collections of its kind in southern England, but a lot is now going to be moved out of the area or taken to other museums.”

The collection includes four Routemaster buses, multiple historic carriages, including a prototype leaning train from the 1940s, and many rare classic vans.

Lindsay Collier, project director and founder of the Pump House, said the deal had been signed following a recommendation by council-hired consultants Ernst and Young, who advised the authority that the entire site was not viable.

He said: “It is a shame but we can't do much about it. We either had to enter into the agreement that the council wanted or there was the risk we would lose the whole site.

“I've been fighting for 17 years to get to this stage and it's been a hard battle. But now we're working with the council and they've given us a 30- year long lease with a peppercorn rent.

“We're also trying to keep as many as we can. We've got an old 1953 London guide bus and TfL are giving us a Victoria Line car.”

The museum is currently drawing up plans for a multi-million pound redevelopment.

It is understood that the council intends to sell the land to a housing developer.

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