Maya George

New Forest District Council is preparing to allocate £3.6 million in developer contributions to strategic projects, including a new civic square in Totton and improvements to Lymington’s Bath Road Recreation Ground. Ringwood Market Place and Milford-on-Sea’s seafront have been delayed while further work and decisions are undertaken, with no firm timetable for Ringwood. The prioritised projects are expected to proceed to consultation and detailed design, with construction targeted for 2027 and 2028; councillors are due to consider the recommendations on August 5.

Ringwood County Junior School has submitted plans to New Forest District Council for a single-storey support building replacing temporary structures. The building would provide additional classroom space for SEND support, toilets and a kitchenette for Year 6 pupils, and a base for breakfast and after-school clubs serving the junior and nearby infant schools. The proposed site was revised after an earlier 2024 consent, with the school stating that no mature trees or neighbouring parking would be affected and that the building would not be visible from the street. A decision date has not yet been set.

The New Forest National Park Authority refused retrospective permission for a replacement conservatory at Smallbrook Cottage, a Grade II listed property in Landford owned by Hamptworth Golf and Country Club proprietor Ashkin Mittal. Although planning officers recommended approval, councillors condemned the 37-metre-wide structure as damaging and unsympathetic to the historic building, particularly because it had been constructed without consent. Mittal has appealed the decision.