Reid Steel has abandoned plans to develop the site it owns in Christchurch for housing and move out of town. Instead it hopes to build a new factory where it is.
The opportunity for redevelopment arouse when an adjacent site, formerly occupied by Peeks Party Store and Monkey Madness soft play centre, became available.
The £30m turnover company, which employs more than 130 people, has launched a consultation programme to seek local views before submitting a planning application later this month.
The proposals include construction of the new factory and offices with access on to Reid Street. The majority of existing buildings on the site would be demolished.
Managing director Simon Boyd said: “The layout of our current site leads to inefficiencies which reduce our competitiveness, hampering our ability to grow the business.
“Redevelopment would bring multiple manufacturing processes into a single, automated production line under one roof, including steel delivery and unloading. This would give us a safer working environment, more control and the ability to implement new technology to improve productivity.
“It would improve the local environment by cutting down on noisy outdoor handling operations and reducing interruptions to traffic flow on Fairmile caused by restricted access to our existing stockyard.
“The redevelopment would allow us to continue our growth trajectory and bring greater employment to the Christchurch area with more high-skilled jobs.”
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