Hundreds of jobs to be created as major commercial development gets green light
Kingsbridge has been given consent for a major sustainable warehouse and manufacturing scheme that will create hundreds of jobs and retain a long-standing high-tech employer in Poole.
The planning committee of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council has resolved to grant planning permission for a 207,000 sq ft scheme at Sopers Lane, Poole, on a 10.7-acre site formerly owned by Siemens Plc. Kingsbridge acquired the site in 2023.
The first phase of the development will be a high-tech 106,000 sq ft manufacturing facility pre-let to IMI Poole, formerly known as Thompson Valves, which manufactures high integrity solenoid valves and pressure regulators.
The move will enable IMI Poole to relocate 240 highly skilled staff from its nearby Creekmoor facility in Poole into a new centre of engineering excellence in a world class working environment at Sopers Lane. The new facility will provide the expansion space that the business needs and allow it to meet its decarbonising objectives and commitments to a more sustainable way of working.
The second phase of the new development at Sopers Lane will deliver nine units between 3,750 sq ft and 26,000 sq ft.
Jeremy Sharland, development director at Kingsbridge, said: “We are privileged to be able to bring this entire site back into full economic use by providing best-in-class, highly sustainable employment space that will bring jobs and prosperity to the local area.”
Gary Clapcott, managing director, IMI Poole, said: “As one of Poole’s leading employers for more than six decades, we remain highly committed to our local community. This move to a new facility further underlines that IMI will be part of the town’s long-term future and continue to be a responsible and considerate employer.”
Development is expected to start in March of this year with the first phase handover targeted for Spring 2026.
