COUNCIL chiefs in the New Forest could sell their offices in Lyndhurst and Lymington in a multi-million pound deal.

The 400 staff at the two locations would move to a single site at Brockenhurst under the proposal, part of a major money-saving review due to report back next March.

The authority's current bases at Appletree Court, Lyndhurst, and Lymington Town Hall would be closed under the plan.

Council officers carrying out the report are considering a new single administration centre, merging either at Lyndhurst or Lymington, or relocating entirely to Brockenhurst.

Any vacated land at Lyndhurst or Lymington would be sold.

Chris Malyon, the council's director of resources, has cited Brockenhurst as an ideal base for the council because of its central Forest location and rail links.

He said there would be no enforced redundancies.

It is thought the council's site in Lymington would fetch about the £10.3m paid for the land occupied by the town's former hospital.

The Lyndhurst site is larger and would be likely to go for even more.

None of New Forest District Council's depots or information offices at Hythe, Fawley, New Milton and Fordingbridge are likely to be affected.