THE top of a 650ft chimney could be converted into a public viewing tower and restaurant overlooking the Hampshire coast.

Developers are planning to retain the centrepiece of the former Fawley power station and provide a facility that would offer stunning views of Southampton Water and the New Forest.

They say it would be the tallest such attraction south of the Shard building in London.

Built in the 1970s the power station closed in 2013 after failing to meet modern environmental standards.

As reported in the Daily Echo owners Fawley Waterside are planning to demolish some of the buildings on the site and replace them with 1,500 homes and a marina.

Now it has been revealed that they also intend to retain the chimney and convert the top of the structure into a restaurant.

Plans show a petal-shaped glass structure high above the rest of the proposed development, which also includes new fast ferry links to Southampton and Portsmouth.

An outline planning application is due to be submitted later this year - and construction could start in 2018 if consent is granted.

The oil-fired power station was commissioned in 1971 and was capable of powering one million homes.

The 300-acre site was sold to Fawley Waterside in 2016.

Aldred Drummond, one of the directors, said: "We'd be mad to knock the chimney down – it’s our signature piece of infrastructure.

"If you think of the money spent building the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, this building is already there so with relatively little investment we can do something very spectacular."