UP to 1,900 jobs could be created at Bournemouth Airport under plans to create a “world class” business park.

The scheme includes a new site for Christchurch manufacturer REIDsteel.

Owner Rigby Real Estate has submitted three planning applications for land at Aviation Business Park, at the northern end of the airport.

The plans would deliver more than a million square feet of commercial floor space on around 75 acres of land.

Rigby Real Estate says the development would generate around £93million a year for the Dorset economy.

Its commercial real estate director, Mike Murray, said: “We’re very excited at these plans, which are part of our strategy to create a world-class business park at Bournemouth Airport.

“The aim is to unlock high quality employment land and facilitate associated infrastructure while providing a major boost for the local economy. Our objective is to appeal to leading national and international manufacturing, logistics and aerospace businesses with a range of high-quality, class-leading units.”

The applications submitted to BCP council are:

n An outline application for development across the northern fringe of the airport, with an estate road.

n A full planning application for road improvements and other infrastructure, including the estate road. The owners say the road is essential to linking the eastern and western sides of the business park, which are currently separated by ‘airside users’. This element would be dealt with early in the development.

n A full application for an employment unit, which the owners say would allow the relocation of a “long-standing manufacturing company” – Christchurch business REIDsteel, which currently employs 130 people.

It says this would release the company’s existing site for residential development.

Earlier this year, REIDsteel applied for outline permission for 170 homes on its current, four-acre site at Reid Street in Christchurch. It said it wanted to relocate within the borough of Christchurch but did not say where.

The 200-acre Aviation Business Park is already home to more than 200 businesses, making it one of the largest employment sites in Dorset.

Rigby Real Estate acquired the site in 2017 when the Rigby Group bought the Bournemouth Airport site for an undisclosed sum, adding the airport itself to the Regional & City Airport group.