A company based in a village near Petersfield that builds temporary buildings is set for expansion as its new workshop is given approval.

Applicant McGregor Polytunnels Pension Scheme submitted a planning application to demolish four industrial units with one large building at its site at Lacey’s Farm, Bramdean, off the Petersfield Road.

Winchester City Council planning committee met in mid-April to approve the building after the applicant’s discussions with planning officers on-site saw design changes to the original plans.

The new 662.1 square metre building was reduced in height from from 8.9 metres to 6.73 metres overall and a change in materials was agreed from steel composite panelling to natural finish timber as a vertical cladding. 

The application came before the committee because of the number of concerns raised during the public consultation. There were six letters of objection and one letter of support. 

Concerns raised included the adverse impact of noise at the site, public rights of way and traffic, water and drainage, the impact on the watercourse and the height of the proposed building, said the officer’s report. 

A letter supporting said it encouraged the reuse and tidying up of the existing brown field site for light rural industry.

McGregor Structures Ltd started in 1980 as a family business working primarily within agriculture and is now a 45-year-old business with a global client base. It designs modular canopies that attach to cost-effective and readily available foundations, said its website.

It also said: “Today, with a team of industry-leading designers and engineers, the business is geared to serve large-scale military operations and global businesses from our UK sites. We take pride in our relationships with the exceptional businesses and organisations that rely on us.”

The application SDNP/24/01974/FUL was approved unanimously by the committee.