Churchill Retirement Living plans 177 flats at site of old gas works and La Mamma restaurant in Christchurch

Plans for a ‘multi-generational community’ of 177 retirement flats and affordable living apartments have been submitted for a Christchurch town centre site.

The Bridge Street site includes a former gas works as well as the old La Mamma, which was one of the oldest Italian restaurants in the BCP area. It has now moved just a few hundred yards down Bridge Street to the site of a former pub.

Ringwood-based Churchill Retirement Living wants to build five blocks of flats, from two-storeys up to approximately four-storeys, together with car parking, and managed landscaping areas.

They will be a mix of retirement homes, social rented homes, discounted ‘first homes’ and open market homes.

In its planning application, submitted on Friday, the company said BCP Council had delivered no affordable housing in Christchurch over the past two years and was behind with the number of retirement builds needed for a predicted ageing population.

Churchill said there was an “acute need” for affordable housing, with average house prices in the BCP area 13 times higher than average incomes.

It claimed that a recent Local Housing Needs Assessment identified that nearly 2,700 more affordable homes were needed every year in the BCP area from now until 2038.

Churchill said the government “recognises there is a critical need” for older people’s accommodation, with the number of people aged over 65 and over in the BCP area expected to increase by 40% by 2038.

It said the council had, on average, delivered only 127 affordable homes per year over the past 10 years.

The development will have communal facilities, including a residents lounge for the retirement apartments, 237sqm of class E commercial space, car parking and landscaping.

It will retain the gas works Retort building which many residents have said is part of Christchurch’s heritage.

The gas works have been in disuse for eight years and are adjoined by the former Christchurch civic offices and the local leisure centre.

Churchill has carried out a public consultation on its plans including meetings and a series of social media initiatives.

During these, some residents shared concerns about the design and the development’s effect on neighbouring properties