FIRST it was labelled “too posh for Argos” following a row over the company’s plan to open a store in the main shopping area.

Then it was branded the “snootiest town in Britain” after proposals for a cut-price pub on the opposite side of the road were thrown out.

Now council chiefs have done a U-turn and approved the latest application to open a Wetherspoon watering hole in the centre of Lymington.

The company has been given permission to convert a furnishings store into a pub and restaurant – almost a year to the day after its first proposal was turned down.

Palfrey & Kemp, in St Thomas Street, will be transformed into the Six Bells in a scheme expected to create about 40 jobs.

The latest application sparked more than 970 letters of objection – one of the biggest protests ever seen in the town. But New Forest District Council (NFDC) also received a 1,000- name petition and 110 letters supporting the proposal.

Members went against the advice of planning officers and approved the application – despite claims that rowdy customers would upset pensioners living in nearby Monmouth House and mourners attending funerals at St Thomas’s Church.

The first half of the debate was dominated by fierce criticism of the scheme.

Councillor Maureen Holding told fellow members of the planning and development control committee: “Is it worth losing this beautiful area for a cheap burger? This will change the character of the street scene. And what about the mourners? Have some respect.”

Councillor Elizabeth Lewis complained that the pub would be only six metres from the church door.

She added: “People living nearby will have their quality of life affected by something they didn’t ask for and don’t need.”

But Councillor Michael Thierry said many of the comments made at the meeting were based on assumptions that were not supported by facts.

“A pub in that location is acceptable in policy terms. You can’t rewrite the policy because what’s being proposed doesn’t suit you,” he said.

Councillor Diane Andrews criticised the “hysteria” surrounding the application, which was eventually approved by 13 votes to six. The committee’s membership has changed since the first scheme was rejected on September 13 last year.

Lymington resident Jacqui Head, who helped raise the petition supporting the latest proposal, welcomed the council’s U-turn.

She said: “Wetherspoon will be very good for Lymington, which is a dying town. It will also be very good for families because they’ll be able to afford to go in there.”

Last night a Wetherspoon spokesman said it was too early to tell when the pub would open.