The applicant, Nick Aris of Breathe Safety, wishes to develop land off Blackfield Lane totalling 4.8 acres for a new build light industrial unit, eight small light industrial units in one block, a church and community hall and residential care home. Access would be through an established housing estate with pinch point access.

Nearly 200 people turned out for the Parish Council meeting on 22 August when the application for outline planning permission was considered. There was such a high attendance, the meeting had to be held on Fryer Field recreation ground and the parish council increased the public address time.

Speakers included residents David Brenchley and Andy Skeats as well as the chair of the Governors of St Mary’s First School, Warren Foster.

Objector David Brenchley said the information was so scant, that it should be returned to the applicant who should be asked to provide more details.

He said the theoretical risk of flooding highlighted by Dorset Council was an actual risk. He pointed out that the MOD had not been notified of the application, yet their nearby underground storage tanks held two million six hundred thousand litres of fuel and rigorous investigation of the site should be made to find out what contamination is lurking underground.

The site is bordered by SSSIs, which he said are home to many endangered species and The Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC) had already advised that the site should not be developed.

Visibility splays he said were inadequate at the junction of The Avenue with Station Road. This is also the access for St Mary’s First School and the pre-school.

“I submit there can be no development of Blackfield Farm until this junction is complaint with modern visibility standards and adequate safety measures are put in place to safeguard the schoolchildren,” he said.

Andy Skeats added that the application “contravenes local planning policy and the local plan and its definitely out of keeping with the area.” He talked about insufficient parking, the environmental impact, noise nuisance, visual impact and said the application “brings the development to the wrong place.”

A further speaker said she had made the MOD aware of the application and they had “escalated it up” and would be getting in touch with the planning department.

Following the public address, Cllr Alex Clarke gave a summary for a Parish Council submission. He said industrial use was “out of keeping with the local residential neighbourhood” adding that the EDDC Core Strategy had identified land for industrial use to meet local needs, “this area was neither required nor included.”

He said there was, “Inappropriate and inadequate highways access through roads constructed for a small residential estate,” saying this included single line traffic at pinch points. And he said there would be “unacceptable impact on The Avenue into which the Blackfield Lane traffic would turn with pressure via school traffic and poor visibility at its junction with Station Road.”

He also said there was ecological impact, which the applicant had already recognised.

A proposal to object to the application was carried.

Objections can be made until 16 September 2019 by following at: http://eastdorsetplanning.christchurchandeastdorset.gov.uk/plandisp.aspx?recno=114691&fbclid=IwAR2kafSLjY9Z_J-QW01CrWFtEzHTEcIdmyQurDNc1yZTcQAfQ7oewU2b62A