A MAJOR employment site in Poole has been acquired in a deal worth £7.75million.

Property developer Kingsbridge Estates has purchased the 10.7-acre site at Sopers Lane formerly owned by tech giants Siemens Plc.

Kingsbridge Estates says it will now “work closely” with the site’s current occupiers and local stakeholders to bring forward proposals for a phased development.

It is believed the new development will comprise new industrial/warehouse space.

Chris Fry, chief executive at Kingsbridge Estates said: “We are excited about the Sopers Lane site and its potential for a phased redevelopment to support local employment and contribute positively to the local economy.

“This acquisition is in line with our mission to create sustainable schemes that help meet high levels of demand for quality commercial space across the south.”

Bournemouth Echo: Plessey Controls pictured in the 1980s.Plessey Controls pictured in the 1980s.

The Sopers Lane site opened as a munitions factory in May 1940 and remained so until the 1950s, when the government began making the site available for other uses.

In 1966, the Plessey Company took on the site and began designing and developing its products there. World Wide Web inventor Sir Tim Berners Lee worked as an engineer at Plessey in Poole early on in his career.

Manufacturing firm Siemens soon took over and operated at the site for more than 30 years.

The site itself is within a designed Employment Zone in the Poole Local Plan.

The team at Kingsbridge Estates were advised by DTRE and Freeths on the purchase, while CBRE and Osborne Clarke advised Siemens Plc.