Fresh redevelopment plans unveiled for Lyndhurst Park Hotel
NEW proposals have been unveiled for the redevelopment of Lyndhurst Park Hotel with 77 homes, plus holiday lets and shops.
An exhibition hosted by Hoburne Development at the Lyndhurst Community Centre will show off the designs for the landmark site next week.
The developer refused to say how many homes were being considered, or give any other details of its plans, although it did release an artist’s impression of how it would look.
However, according to pre-application documents submitted to the national park authority, the scheme is for four blocks containing 66 flats, 11 terraced houses, eight holiday lets and five shops.
The numbers appear to clash with the NPA’s policy for the 1.6-hecatre site which is designated for just 50 homes, of which half should be affordable, plus tourism uses.
Cllr Graham Reeves, chair of Lyndhurst Parish Council’s planning committee, said: “I think it’s encouraging. What we have seen are provisional plans but they are encouraging because the attitude of what people what to achieve seems to be shared by the developer.
“What they’re trying to do seems to be sympathetic to the village.”
There were concerns about the possible impact on GP spaces in Lyndhurst, he said, but also hopes that extra families would boost pupil numbers at the junior school.
Cllr Reeves added: “We do not want to sound as if we are fully backing them at this point. The designs are slightly outside the NPA’s Local Plan for development on that particular site.
“But you have to appreciate that meeting what the village would like won’t necessarily match what they need commercially. You will never please everyone.”
The building on the edge of Lyndhurst has become an eyesore since it was shut down in 2014. It was bought by retirement developer Pegasus Life, which twice failed to gain permission for about 90 homes there.
In October last year it gave up and sold the ailing property to Hoburne Development, the construction arm of Hoburne Group, which also owns a holiday park business.
Earlier this month a large section at the back of the building collapsed, causing concern to villagers who have fought to preserve parts of it which are thought to have been design by Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle.
The parish council is due to have a meeting with Hoburne Development on Thursday for a further update.
The drop-in public exhibition will be held on Tuesday 25th February from 4pm to 8pm at Lyndhurst Community Centre where members of Hoburne Development’s team will be on hand to answer questions.
