A PLANNING battle is brewing over the outside seating area at a new coffee shop in the New Forest.

Cafe chain Costa Coffee has set up a new restaurant in Lymington High Street - but has opened without planning permission for a change of use.

Costa has been leasing the former Martin's newsagent site on the corner of High Street and New Street for several months and has planning permission to change the design of the shop front.

However, the company did not apply for permission to change the use from shop to restaurant.

New Forest District Council planning officer David Groom said it was known the applicants wanted to use the building as a Costa Coffee outlet.

"When they opened we told them they needed to submit a planning application," he said.

The application has now been submitted on behalf of Costa Coffee by planning and development consultants Cliff Walsingham and Company of Bourne End, Buckinghamshire.

Mr Groom said the application will be considered between the middle and the end of July.

Disability access group New Forest Access for All has opposed the application because tables and chairs have been set up outside the restaurant in New Street. The organisation claims they cause a serious hazard to pedestrians.

Lymington and Pennington Town Council planning committee is recommending that approval is given for the change of use.

However, committee members are also concerned about the outside seating in New Street and recommend that should be refused.

They consider the seating dangerous and say people with pushchairs and buggies will be forced to walk in the road.

In addition the seating gets in the way of disabled people who want to use the glazed side doors and a right of way that has been in use for many years has now been blocked. No one from Costa Coffee has been available for comment.