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With 40 years’ experience in the steelframed buildings business, it comes as no surprise to learn that Brett Shortland’s order book is full well into 2025. It’s also a tribute to his building skills, workmanship and customer focus that many of those who are turning to Shortland Structures for their buildings have been doing so for a large chunk of those 40 years. Nick Scrase, who farms near Pulborough in West Sussex with brother Jonathan, was named in a South East Farmer feature 15 years ago as a “long-term customer”. He is still a regular client today. “Because I work hard to deliver a personal service and because my team is focused on getting the details right, I have become friends with most of my customers,” Brett commented.
“They know that they will get exactly what it says on the tin.” Brett has been in the business since the day after he left school at the age of 16, and the 57 year-old has been adding to his client base and reputation ever since. His core team, too, is long-standing. Gary Brewer has been with Shortland Structures for 20 years and Simon Peters for more than 10. The six-strong, full-time workforce is supplemented when necessary by a reliable band of sub-contractors and specialists, all of whom share Brett’s commitment to quality. In the early days Brett himself was often brought in as a trusted sub-contractor by some of the biggest names in the business, but these days he usually operates as the
DECEMBER 2024 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET
main contractor, building a broad range of agricultural buildings of all shapes and sizes, from hay barns to equestrian premises. He has built up a good relationship with major Welsh steel buildings supplier Shufflebottom over the years and chooses their buildings, which he said reflected his own approach to quality workmanship. The Shortland Structures team is currently building a waste transfer station at Northwood Farm, Yapton, West Sussex, for farmer Graham Abbott. The building, an impressive 43 by 35 metres and 10 metres to the eaves, will be let to TJ Waste as a recycling centre catering for the waste created by a growing population. With four metre concrete panels at the base and cladding above, the building also features