WORK is under way on a multi-million pound high-tech facility near Bournemouth Airport to attract investment to the area.

Commercial property developer Stoford has secured funding from Global Gate Capital for the for the 160,000sqft unit at Aviation Business Park.

Christchurch council gave the go-ahead earlier this year to plans submitted by Stoford and MAG Property, the property and development arm of the airport’s owner Manchester Airports Group (MAG).

Global Gate Capital has bought a nine-acre site from MAG at the same time as funding the project.

Stoford joint managing director Matt Burgin said: “We are excited to unveil the plans for the facility at Aviation Business Park at Bournemouth Airport, in association with MAG Property.

“The new development will bring a significant amount of investment to the south coast, providing new jobs and more opportunities for the surrounding area.”

Lynda Shillaw, MAG Property CEO, said: “Aviation Business Park is emerging as a key employment location, supporting Christchurch and East Dorset’s Core Strategy and forming an important component of Dorset Local Enterprise Partnership’s wider £40million Bournemouth International Growth Programme.

“We are seeing healthy occupier and investor demand for manufacturing, logistics and aviation-related property at Bournemouth Airport and are delighted to be working with Stoford.”

Rudy Sayegh, CEO at Global Gate Capital, said: “We are delighted to have completed this forward funding, our second with Stoford Developments in recent months, and we are looking to invest a further £100m in such property in 2016.”

Other businesses located at Aviation Business Park include Siemens, Honeywell, Cobham, and Ocean Yacht Systems.

Stoford is a leading specialist in occupier-focused development.

It has delivered over 10 million sq ft of pre-let development and in 2012 to 2014 had more than 1.5 million sq ft of pre-let space under construction throughout the UK.

The unit at Aviation Business Park includes 45,000sqft of offices and a 115,000sqft production unit on a 10.64 acre site.

The area was identified by Dorset LEP as key to new jobs and homes, with road links due for improvement following the rebuilding of the A338 Spur Road.