A MAJOR housing development for 875 homes could hit a key milestone in the new year almost four years after outline plans were approved.

Taylor Wimpey is pressing on with the developer’s proposal for the huge area of land at Roeshot Hill in Christchurch alongside the A35.

The firm has said it is currently preparing a reserved matters application which will provide specific details for the first phase of around 50 homes.

A Taylor Wimpey spokesperson said: "We are finalising a Reserved Matters application for the first phase of residential development at Roeshot Grange and hope to submit this to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in January 2023.

"Our vision is for a vibrant and diverse community with a range of new homes, as well as new facilities including sports pitches, open space and a community building for new and existing residents to enjoy."

At present the approximate mix of housing proposed is 10 to 20 per cent one and two-bed apartments, 25 to 35 per cent up to two-bed houses, 25 to 35 per cent up three-bed houses and 15 to 25 per cent four and five-bed houses - although this will be subject to reserved matters applications.

As reported, Christchurch Borough Council approved outline plans for the 39.7-hectare site in March 2019 before local government reorganisation in Dorset. This formal approval came 19 months after the local authority’s planning committee granted the application.

Around 50 per cent of the land will be used for housing, with the rest taken up by road infrastructure and open space.

A reserved matters application for laying out of public open space to the west of the new access roundabout to Lyndhurst Road was given the green light by BCP Council in October last year.

The housing development will also feature a central public open space, two floodlit all-weather five-a-side sports pitches, a community building with changing facilities, play area and a road bridge over the River Mude including junction proposals to Watery Lane Taylor Wimpey is currently in the process of discharging pre-commencement conditions associated with the outline planning permission.

Before the developer can commence work on any new homes there is a large amount of on and off-site infrastructure work, including improvements to the local highway network and relocating overhead electricity lines, which will need to be carried out as part of the development.

It is not currently known how many phases Taylor Wimpey intends to break the project into.