Plans for up to 170 new homes to provide much needed housing in Christchurch have been lodged with the council.
We have applied to Christchurch Borough Council for outline planning permission for the development.
The homes are proposed for our four acre site in Reid Street after we relocate to a new, state-of-the-art facility.
They are a mixture of two and three bedrooms houses and one and two bedroom flats with access roads and parking.
We have taken feedback into account after we consulted with local people, business, councillors and community groups about our proposals last October.
Simon Boyd, who is managing director of REIDsteel, said: “REIDsteel is committed to leaving a legacy of much-needed housing when we leave our current home of more than 50 years.
“We have listened to comments made about our initial proposals and consulted with our professional advisors before drawing up our outline planning application.
“If approved, this plan will allow us to relocate to a purpose-built site where we can invest in the latest technology and significantly increase productivity with all operations under one roof.
“It will remove heavy industry away from the town centre, cut heavy traffic movements from Reid Street, reduce noise and disruption for neighbours and allow us to reduce our carbon footprint.”
Simon added: “We are pleased to reach this important stage with our plans to help our business grow while allowing the regeneration of a key site in Christchurch.”
The outline planning application for up to 170 homes is a reduction from up to 220 set out at the consultation event last October.
It includes access roads, car parking, landscaping, communal gardens and higher storeys placed away from neighbouring housing.
Findings from a questionnaire at the event last November showed that more than 60 per cent of respondents were in favour or strongly in favour of the removal of industrial use from the site and thought housing was the best use once we had relocated.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents rated the overall approach to the design and layout of the housing as very good, good or fair.
We have the capacity to design, manufacture and supply entire steel buildings – including their cladding and glazing – anywhere in the UK, Europe and across the World. We have exported to more than 140 countries to date and celebrate our centenary this year.
We spend £2m in the local supply chain on top of salaries for our staff, many who live in the Christchurch area.
We are aiming to relocate operations within the boundaries of Christchurch Borough Council. We have not yet announced our preferred location for our new site.
The planning application is due to go before planners for a decision in April.
We are a four times winner of the Queen’s Award for Enterprise (International Trade) and sponsor local schools’ membership of the Dorset Young Chamber programme.
