A men’s group has been given the green light to build a workshop in the car park of a Bordon community centre for socialising, community projects and laughter.

Applicant Clive Handy, on behalf of the Bordon Men’s Shed, was granted permission by East Hampshire District Council planning chiefs to build two cabins in the rear car park of the Phoenix Theatre, part of the Phoenix Centre, in Station Road.

The officer’s report said the two cabins, 9.754 metres long by 3.3 metres wide by 2.4 metres high, are built by portable cabin supplier Wernick’s and will have temporary planning permission for five years until May 8, 2030.

The two cabins, constructed of metal sides and ply floor surfaces, will be joined together long edge to long edge with a connecting door between them as well as a fire escape door and windows.

It will be five metres to the nearest boundary at the rear and eight metres from the nearest house. Sparse hedges will partially screen the workshop from Barbados Road.

Opening times will be Monday to Friday, 10am to 5.30pm, Saturdays from 10am to 1pm and at no time on Sundays or bank holidays.

Two parking spaces will be lost at the Phoenix site, thus reducing the parking from 45 car spaces to 43. The storage containers currently on site will be removed, said the application form.

The UK Men’s Sheds Association statement said: “Men’s Sheds, or Sheds, are similar to garden sheds – a place to pursue practical interests at leisure, to practice skills and enjoy making and mending.

“The difference is that garden sheds and their activities are often solitary in nature, while Men’s Sheds are the opposite. They’re about social connections and friendship building, sharing skills and knowledge, and of course, a lot of laughter.”

The association also said that many of the men’s groups don’t have premises in the beginning and instead form a group, meeting regularly for the social connection, company and camaraderie until they can find somewhere to kit out with tools. 

It added, many “Sheds” and “shedders” get involved in community projects by restoring village features, helping maintain parks and green spaces, and building things for schools, libraries and individuals in need.