A tourist attraction is set for a massive expansion as multimillion pound plans to revamp Birdworld and an adjacent garden centre have been submitted.

Feathers have been ruffled in the planning office as the expansion plans for the site between Farnham and Bordon are the biggest in the attraction’s history.

A huge reworking of Birdworld and the garden centre has been proposed with joint access coming off a new roundabout on the A325.

Improvements and additions to the former include a new entrance building, play barn, external adventure play area and a conservation and breeding facility. 

The plans also include the demolition and replacement of the current Forest Lodge Garden Centre with an improved and more energy-efficient building. 

The proposals have long been in the pipeline as Haskins Garden Centre bought Forest Lodge, Garden Style and Birdworld in early 2020. 

The latter attracts more than 100,000 visitors a year but the attraction is showing its age, with the majority of the buildings on both sites being “of poor condition” and “near the end of their lifespan”.

“The arrangement, layout and overall building conditions of the combined sites of Birdworld and Haskins are poor,” reads the applicant’s design and access statement.

“Existing buildings are outdated and do not meet current building standards in terms of thermal/energy performance and sustainability.

“Options were reviewed to retain the existing garden centre, but this would have been compromised due to its outdated construction and existing poor condition. 

“It was decided that the most appropriate solution was to demolition the existing garden centre and rebuild it to meet modern building standards of building efficiency and levels of insulation.”

Much more information can be found by typing 20533 into the ‘search applications’ browser at https://planningpublicaccess.easthants.gov.uk