PLANS to turn part of the New Forest into a giant gravel pit were due to be examined at a public inquiry today.

New Milton Sand and Ballast wants to extract more than 800,000 tonnes of gravel from a 40-acre site at Downton Manor Farm, Milford on Sea.

Hampshire County Council rejected the company's initial application in 2005 after receiving an avalanche of objections from residents and traders in the picturesque village.

A second proposal submitted last year sparked similar protests and was also thrown out.

New Milton Sand and Gravel lodged an appeal and will present its case at today's inquiry, which is being held at the Lyndhurst Park Hotel.

The application is being opposed by Downton and Milford Against Gravel Extraction (DAMAGE).

Members of the action group fear gravel extraction will be allowed in other parts of the Milford area if the company wins its appeal.

Applications A DAMAGE spokesman said: "Should the appeal be granted, it will open the door to further applications involving Downton Manor Farm and the neighbouring Yeatton and Lea Green Farms." As reported in the Daily Echo, Hampshire County Council says the additional sites are worthy of "further investigation".

Today's inquiry comes eight months after New Milton Sand and Gravel's application to extract 810,000 tonnes of gravel from Downton Manor Farm was turned down for the second time.

County councillors reached their decision after being lobbied by a coachload of objectors, who spent an hour criticising the proposal.

Most of the speakers cited what they described as the threat to Milford's tourist industry and the businesses that relied on trade generated by visitors.

The applicant has defended the scheme, saying it will help meet the "desperate shortage" of building materials.

A spokesman said: "Downton Manor Farm is a prime site for extraction because the working will be neither heard nor seen from outside the site.

"The development will be sensitive to the environment and will be carried out by a caring local employer."