170 homes planned for Christchurch gas works site

Churchill Retirement Living, which has already acquired the Bridge Street site, wants to prove a mixture of retirement living, open market homes suitable for first time buyers and affordable housing.

The Ringwood-based developer has already been working with adjoining landowners and BCP Council to develop its plans as part of the emerging BCP Local Plan.

Churchill said its vision for the brownfield site is to deliver a “sustainable” development that meets the needs of “all demographics”.

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Spencer McCarthy, Churchill’s chairman and chief executive, said: “This is a very different approach for Churchill and one of our most ambitious and exciting redevelopment projects to date.

“By delivering a mix of different housing types we are looking to transform the old gasworks site into an attractive new community for people of all ages, which in turn will create hundreds of new jobs, boost the local economy and support the local high street.

Spencer J McCarthy (Image: Churchill Retirement Living)

“We will also be investing hundreds of thousands of pounds in site clean-up and remediation of the old gasworks, as well as local infrastructure improvement and measures to ensure the long-term sustainability of the site.

“We will continue to work closely with BCP Council and other key stakeholders to develop our plans, and we look forward to making our vision a reality over the coming years.”

The site was previously home to five gasholder structures, which were removed in recent years by Southern Gas Networks (SGN).

Major plans were revealed back in 2016 by the Daily Echo for a riverside marina, which would have involved demolishing the Civic Offices and using land from the gas works, former Mostyns factory and Two Riversmeet Leisure Centre and golf course. However, the concept was never progressed to a formal application.

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Churchill’s residential plans will lead to an additional £1.7million of spending in the town and create around 30 permanent jobs locally, the company said, while the construction phase, on site and through the wider supply chain, would directly support more than 360 jobs.

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Cllr Nigel Brooks, BCP Council’s lead member for high street renaissance, said: “The completion of the acquisition of the former gas works site by Churchill is a key step forward to see this important redundant town centre site redeveloped for much needed housing.

“When taken together with the former Christchurch Civic Offices site next door, the whole area has an exceptional opportunity to create a desirable and vibrant ‘Quarter’ to this part of historic Christchurch.”

Churchill said it is anticipated that construction will start in late 2023, with the first homes being available for occupation in mid-2025.

For more information on the plans, which would be subject to a planning application process through BCP Council, visit gasworkschristchurch.co.uk.