PLANS were submitted to refurbish a listed First World War hangar to make it "wind and watertight" just over two weeks before it was battered by Storm Isha.

Parts of Hangar 3 at Old Sarum Airfield collapsed during the strong winds and residents reported extensive damage to Laverstock and Ford Parish Council on January 22.

Shortly before the storm, on January 4, landowner Grenville Hodge submitted a planning application detailing proposals to spend £3m to repair and refurbish the hangar.

Architects Feilden and Mason said the proposed renovations were intended to make the building wind and watertight and bring it back into use as one of the last remaining historic hangars on an active airfield.

Read more: City council planning committee says legal action must be taken to 'salvage and restore' hangar

Salisbury Journal: Developers want to clear the debris from Hangar 3 within six months of an application being approved.Developers want to clear the debris from Hangar 3 within six months of an application being approved. (Image: Contributed)

The hangar, which is in the poorest condition of the three, was placed on Historic England's Risk Register in November 2020 and the developer hopes the refurbishment would remove it from this list.

The airfield, roughly 3km north of Salisbury, houses three WW1 hangars which are particularly significant because they were built using timber lattice trusses (known as Belfast trusses) rather than steel.

Sections of this Grade II protected truss fell during the storm.

Salisbury Journal: Some of the Belfast trusses have collapsed.Some of the Belfast trusses have collapsed. (Image: Contributed)

A statement in the application reads: "The general aim is to prevent any further deterioration of the fabric after the collapse of a large part of the roof, by the careful removal of the old asphalt and timber roof finish, the repair of those trusses deemed fit for repair and the construction of new Belfast trusses all to match existing.

"At time of writing, 8 trusses in the northern bay and 8 trusses in the southern bay have failed and are not repairable."

Mr Hodge previously applied to build approximately 315 homes on Old Sarum Airfield and the new plans for Hangar 3 have been submitted as part of the masterplan.

A cost plan included in the planning application revealed a staggering total of £3m to carry out all the necessary work on Hangar 3, £2.4m of which would go toward construction costs.

The recommended work for the site has been broken down into four timeframes.

Within six months, the developer says they would carry out an asbestos survey in the hangar and annexes, seek structural advice and prop central columns, remove all collapsed parts of the roof and remove redundant cables and pipes.

The application (PL/2024/00102) is under consultation until February 22 and to view it in full visit development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0i3z00001CG9DM/pl202400102.