ONE of Britain's richest men is due to visit Hampshire tomorrow to open a new research centre.

The Duke of Westminster is vice-president of the Game Conservancy Trust, which has built the state-of-the-art facility at its headquarters near Fordingbridge.

A trust spokesman said the new complex had replaced a temporary building erected almost 40 years ago.

He added: "The main beneficiary of the new laboratory will be the trust's entomology department.

"Over the years the trust's entomologists have carried out a diverse range of farmland research on arable flowers, insects and habitats for the benefit of game and wildlife.

"One of the main ideas to come from the research was conservation headlands, now an integral art of the government's agri-environment schemes."

Dr John Holland, the trust's head of entomology, said: "We are delighted with this facility, which provides a much better working environment for our staff.

"It will also enable us to expand our farmland ecology team. This will be very good news for wildlife and the countryside."

The Duke of Westminster, 54, owns 300 acres of central London and has an estimated fortune of £6.6 billion.