Green light for key REIDsteel planning application

Plans for the development of up to 167 homes on REIDsteel’s four-acre site off Fairmile Road in Christchurch have received approval.John Reid & Sons Ltd (REIDsteel) said the permission from Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (BCP) Council paved the way for the 130-strong company to relocate to a new facility proposed near Bournemouth Airport.BCP Council’s planning committee gave the go-ahead for the residential scheme, which will also include parking and access. Now REIDsteel will market the site for a developer to build the homes after it relocates.The outline plans approved by the committee included a mix of two and three bedroom houses plus one and two bedroom flats plus car parking. As well as housing the scheme also includes, through its section 106 planning agreement, financial contributions of nearly £1m towards a new country park at nearby Two Riversmeet and monitoring of heathland.REIDsteel will also fund signs and leaflets for the country park as well as a pedestrian crossing on Fairmile Road, a travel plan for local residents and road markings and traffic orders.Professionals working on the application include BrightSpace Architects, Ken Parke Planning Consultants, Malcolm Barber at Sturt & Co and John Newman of Tangent Chartered Surveyors.Now REIDsteel – which celebrated its centenary last year – is to market the site for sale to a developer to take the project forward.