PLANS have been submitted for an extensive new car showroom displaying more than 200 cars off a main road in East Dorset.

The application from car dealers Hendy Group seeks to develop on land at Compton's Yard on Ringwood Road, St Leonards.

In its current state, the site is described as an "underutilised brownfield site" with the proposals bringing "efficient use and new investment to the area".

The plans set out a large showroom and sales suite, with outside spaces for 224 sales vehicles, staff and customer parks as well as a valet building for preparing sales vehicles.

If approved and built, the dealership would provide 20 full-time jobs and serve as Hendy Group's only Dorset establishment.

Mark Busby, commercial director at Hendy, said: "Dorset is a place we know and love, with a number of our employees hailing from the county.

"We’re hoping to bring our services to the area as part of our commitment to growing our business across the south."

A statement submitted on behalf of the applicants says "pressure for development within the main urban areas has also seen the loss of former showrooms and external display areas to alternative uses".

It adds the car sales industry has moved towards larger sales centres, but claims local authority development plans "rarely" make provision for such uses, causing difficult in finding suitable sites.

The statement goes on to say: "In 2016 Hendy Group has identified the need for a second-hand car sales centre to complement its existing dealership network along the south coast. "Following an exhaustive search for a potential site in East Dorset, Hendy Group arrived at Compton’s Yard. Comptons Yard is readily accessible to the company’s target client base, is of a suitable scale and profile and, owing to the established use, requires relatively little preparatory works."

At present Hendy has more than 30 establishments across the south from Exeter to Eastbourne, but does not currently have any dealerships in Dorset.

The company first started out back in 1859 and now has dealerships for many established car brands, including Ford, Kia and Mazda.

The statement for the East Dorset site adds: "The proposed car sales dealership would be commensurate in terms of scale and appearance with the established use.

"It would not prejudice the original purposes of including land within the Green Belt, nor its open characteristics.

"Indeed, the removal of incongruous sections of security fencing and instatement of landscape planting would serve to enhance the perception of openness, as well as improve the visual appearance of the application site. "