PLANNING chiefs have rejected proposals for a major housing development in the centre of a Hampshire town.

The district council has refused to support an application to replace four houses at Stanford Hill, Lymington, with 45 sheltered flats for the elderly.

The multi-million-pound scheme had been opposed by the town council and the Lymington Society.

People living near the site also lodged objections. They criticised the scale and potential impact of the proposed development, claiming it would create extra traffic problems in the area as well as putting additional pressure on services used by the elderly.

The district council has rejected the application for a raft of reasons, including the lack of affordable housing.

A council report outlining its decision also quotes comments submitted by the authority's conservation staff, who criticised what they described as a "large, bulky structure".

The report says the new building would be highly visible from the street and a neighbouring conservation area.

"It would adversely change the character of the site from one which provides a welcome relief on the edge of the built-up area to one which dominates its surroundings.

"The scheme fails to respond to the character of Lymington, the setting of the adjacent conservation area and a number of important listed buildings."

As reported in the Daily Echo, plans to transform the site were published last year.

The applicant, Renaissance Retirement, responded to initial criticism of the scheme by cutting the number of flats it intended to build from 50 to 45.

But town councillors criticised the density of the proposed development and urged the district council to reject the application.

The scheme also came under fire from the influential Lymington Society, which said it would harm one of the town's tree-lined green arteries.

Speaking at the time a Renaissance spokesman said: “The design is right for the site’s location and responds well to the street scene.

“When it comes to density, national planning guidelines encourage schemes like the one we’re proposing when they’re on sustainable sites.

"It’s also worth noting that if planning permission is granted we’ll be making a Community Infrastructure Levy contribution, which will go towards funding wider local infrastructure improvements."

The spokesman also responded to claims that Lymington needed more housing for young people.

He said the proposals put forward by the company aimed to help meet a specific need which had been put forward by the district council.