Hampshire Police Authority is seriously considering moving the constabulary out of Winchester after city planners again refused it permission to improve its HQ in Romsey Road.

The decision was finalised by just one vote on Wednesday, members of Winchester City Council's planning committee voting 7-6 to refuse the authority permission to clad the landmark 1960s tower block with blue glass, refurbish existing buildings and build a new office linked to the main building.

Permission was refused for a similar application in September, 2003 - the subject of an ongoing appeal which is to be heard in September this year.

Officers conceded the new application was "more appropriate than the previous scheme", but one of their main reasons for recommending refusal was the impact of the blue glass cladding on the skyline of Winchester. Another was "over-provision of car parking", which officers felt would result in unnecessary volumes of traffic on local roads.

Opinions were divided: Frank Pearson said: "I think we should be more considerate to the Police Authority. I am coming to the conclusion that the objections of the officers should be discussed and better conclusions made."

Cecily Sutton said: "We are not going to like this whatever the police do. Even the City of Winchester Trust is not particularly against it. It will be a much better building. It is always difficult building on a skyline."

However, Patrick Davies said: "I think we have made it very clear that the objection is not improving the existing building, but the way in which the tower will be more prominent on the skyline of this city."

Thrse Evans added: "It is not that we are against everything the police put forward, but my main concern is the tower building, which will be much more prominent on the skyline."

Deidre Well, the authority's planning consultant, said at the meeting: "Unless our appeal is successful, we will have to look outside the city of Winchester. There is no doubt about that."

Should it finally decide to move the Hampshire Police HQ, the city would lose one of its largest employers.

Commenting later, Simon Hayes, chairman of the authority, said: "I was very disappointed, because we have gone a long way, for the second time, to satisfy the planning requirement. We cannot go on doing this, because it is costing us public money. We will be discussing this at a meeting of the full authority on Tuesday. It is disappointing that the council are still saying that they don't want us in Winchester."

* The constabulary also expressed its disappointment at the decision. Michael Coombes, director of finance, said: "Having been refused on the original application, a lot of work and effort was put into the revised scheme.

"We had been advised the revisions took into account all of the reasons for the initial rejections. Plans for an additional office building were replaced by an extension to the east wing of the existing building and the original plan for reflective overcladding was toned down.

"We are disappointed, but perhaps not surprised. These plans to modernise a headquarters building that has been in Winchester for 40 years were seen as, operationally, the most effective solution to our accommodation problems.

"With the many other demands on police budgets, pursuing the appeal or relocating elsewhere are routes we and Hampshire Police Authority would prefer not to be forced to take."