THE site of Southampton's former Ford Transit plant is set to be marketed for sale, and there are hopes a deal could bring manufacturing and hundreds of jobs back to the site.

Council chiefs hope a deal to sell some of the land may even be struck by the end of the year, when most of the existing buildings on the site are expected to be demolished.

The factory in Swaythling employed more than 4,000 people at its peak, but it closed in July 2013 after Ford decided to move its operations to Turkey, with 356 employees taking voluntary redundancy.

The vast majority of the site has lain empty ever since, although the automotive giant has opened a £12m vehicle refurbishment centre and will open a new distribution centre.

Planning applications have gone in to knock down parts of the old Transit factory, and the firm says the largest building on site, visible to thousands of motorists on the M27 every day, could be pulled down at the end of the year.

Thoughts are now turning to what will replace the factory on the site, and this month Ford, which owns the site alongside Balmoral, will market it to potential new occupiers.

City council leader Simon Letts says the authority will push for something that continues its manufacturing heritage and provides jobs for people in Southampton.

He told the Daily Echo: "We want to see elements of advanced manufacturing, logistics and stuff which fits in with it being a strategic transport hub.

"What we don't want to see is someone coming forward with plans for a massive housing estate or a retail park.

"Ford say they want to have a disposal sorted by year's end.

"I'm hoping we get some rapid movement."

He was echoed by Spiros Vassiliou, one of Swaythling's ward councillors, who said: "I've always said my preference would be something that creates jobs as Ford was a large employer.

"Things are moving forward and hopefully something there will be something worthwhile for the area "We need something that provides jobs, but rather than rushing into a decision we need to look at these things properly and see how we move forward.

A spokesman for Ford said marketing could not have happened sooner as decommissioning the site had to take place first.

He added: "It has always been expected that the site will continue to be a base for business use, providing a source for employment.

"Ford has worked with local authorities and other key stakeholders to agree how the marketing and re-use of the site will proceed to fulfil these common goals."