Villager outcry as turbomachinery firm plans to relocate out of Segensworth HQ
Nearly 90 residents have written to the council, with the majority objecting to the plans.
Dozens of residents have voiced fierce objections to a business planning to relocate to their quiet village.
Plans have been submitted to Winchester City Council for Turbocam International to find a new home in Gravel Hill, Shirrel Heath. The company, which manufactures turbomachinery components for the aviation and rocket industry, is currently based in Segensworth.
The proposals would see the business move to the Gravel Hill Farm site, on the outskirts of the village, across the road from a small business park that houses firms such as MTRL Library and Hanex Solid Surfaces.
It’s an application that has been going back and forth from Winchester City Council, with the most recent adjustment by Turbocam being to reduce the number and extent of rooflights in the proposals. The building that is already on-site would be used, without any extension - the application is primarily for a change of use.
But residents in Shirrel Heath are far from happy with the plans, with 87 submissions already made.
Writing to the council, Sarah Dubois said: “Visiting Solent Business Park, I am concerned that if this cannot accommodate Turbocam, their proposed HGV traffic is going to be greater than currently stated. Having worked in Highlands Road, it was never pleasant getting in or out of the area as it was congested with traffic.
“Residents in this deprived area also put up with a lot. The village road infrastructure is not fit for this kind of industrial use.
“Hampshire County Council has permitted hundreds of new homes to be built in our villages and the local plans expect more. It is unreasonable now to sttartt adding industrial burdens to an infrastructure that is already overstretched.”
Another resident, Sean Beech, added: “I still have concerns, the first being that if the change of status is given, there seems to be nothing written into it that prevents the rest of the site being developed further, and this becoming a full-grown industrial centre in the midst of a rural location.
“The second concern is the noise - this is a rural setting and by adding in machinery that will run 24 hours a day, we are introducing background noise into this environment, which will adversely affect wildlife and potentially affect residents.”