Contracts exchanged on major Aster scheme

Aster Group has exchanged contracts on a 143,000 sq ft scheme in Dorset – its largest land-led development.The developer and landlord’s initial proposal for the site, in the Bargates area of Christchurch, includes 106 homes, more than 13,000 sq ft of retail and commercial space for shops and businesses as well as 54 retirement flats.The new homes will be a mix of one- and two-bed apartments as well as two-and-three-bed houses, with mixed tenure types including affordable rent, shared ownership and open-market sale.Redevelopment of the site – which currently includes car parks, Christchurch police station and the former magistrates’ court – was secured via a tender process led by Christchurch Borough Council, in partnership with vendors Dorset County Council, Dorset Police and the Hospital of St Mary Magdalen Trust.Aster Group has also appointed Christchurch-based architecture practice Aspire to design the scheme, following a competitive tender processIt is anticipated that plans for the initial scheme will be submitted to the council in May following consultation with residents and local businesses.Other Aster Group schemes include the recently-completed 94-home Finn Square scheme in Dorset, a 140-home development at Great Western Park in Oxfordshire and joint ventures with Galliford Try at White Rock in Devon and Boorley Green in Eastleigh.