An employment development which will be a “significant economic catalyst” for part of the New Forest has cleared a key hurdle.

McCarthy Investments Ltd secured outline planning permission for proposals to use land at Calmore Croft Farm in Salisbury Road, Calmore, for up to 22,000 square metres of logistic and warehouse uses with ancillary office space.

The approval from members of New Forest District Council’s planning committee related to the principle of the development and access.

A new traffic light crossroad junction between the A36, A326 southbound sliproad and the site will be created as part of the scheme.

Detailed matters relating to the appearance, layout, landscape and scale of the scheme were reserved for further planning applications.

Councillors were told the proposal had been referred to the committee meeting on March 12 as it related to part of an allocated strategic site in the local plan and there was an objection from Netley Marsh Parish Council.

The land is located south of the A36 Salisbury Road and adjacent to the A326 dual carriageway.

A planning officer said the strategic allocation included an aim to deliver around five hectares for business and employment uses.

The proposal largely aligned with the area assigned for employment use, while the wider allocation has an expectation of providing 1,000 homes.

Land earmarked for employment elsewhere in the district in Ringwood and Fawley were showing no signs of progress at present, the committee heard.

Agent for the applicant, Stuart Goodwill, of Planning Issues Ltd, said the development would provide 17 per cent of the district’s entire employment need over the 20-year local plan period.

Mr Goodwill said there was a “global partner” ready and waiting to deliver the site, and the issues raised in objections generally related to reserved matters applications subjects.

He said the introduction of a traffic light junction was designed in full discussion with National Highways and Hampshire County Council.

Jobs created during construction and when the site is occupied would be a “significant economic catalyst” for the local area, Mr Goodwill added.

Committee members expressed concerns over active transport to the site and HGV traffic queuing back onto the A326 due to the new traffic light junction.

The outline application did not seem “fleshed out enough” in terms of detail, Cllr Jack Davies.

Cllr Malcolm Wade said: “Really there is no reason to object to this because we need employment land for all the people that are going to live around it because we have got loads of housing that we are going to be building there as well, aren’t we?

“The two things sort of marry together and it is located for the distribution perspective in a good place.”

The outline application was approved in line with the officer’s recommendation, with 10 votes in favour and one against.