A HOUSEBUILDER has withdrawn its latest application to bulldoze a former Hampshire police station and replace it with more than 30 retirement apartments.
Churchill Retirement Living's proposal to redevelop the disused Hampshire police site at Southampton Road, Lymington, was rejected last year following a public inquiry.
Churchill submitted a new application a few weeks ago but has now withdrawn it - without giving a reason.
The Lymington Society has responded by urging New Forest District Council to buy the site and use it to ease the shortage of affordable housing.
However, the authority says it has already expressed an interest in purchasing the land.
The Society wrote to Cllr Edward Heron, cabinet member for housing and homelessness on January 31.
Its letter said: "We have written to the Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, urging her to release this community-owned site for affordable homes rather than press on with selling it to the highest bidder for retirement homes.
"We understand you have previously bought such sites for building affordable homes for local people."
READ MORE: Planning inspector rejects proposal to replace former police station with 32 retirement apartments
The Society's chairman Don Mackenzie told the Daily Echo: "Lymington is being besieged by retirement home developers seeking to build ever more flats that only pull people into the town from other parts of the country.
"The tiny number of affordable homes being built is leading to an increasingly unbalanced housing stock in the town.
"The whole community is against the development of yet more retirement flats. Maybe now that the developers have withdrawn their current application, where is a chance NFDC or a housing association could do a deal with Commissioner."
Cllr Heron said the council was interested in buying the site for what he described as a "realistic and sustainable price".
He added: "I am sure there are many considerations for the crime commissioner to consider and we await the outcome of those considerations."
Ms Jones added: "The decision to sell the police station site is still in place and a deal has been agreed with a purchaser."
Lymington and Pennington Town Council wants some of the proceeds from the proposed sale to be used to provide affordable housing. But Ms Jones says her budget is restricted to funding policing and crime reduction services.
Churchill's application was rejected after sparking almost 80 letters of objection and a protest petition signed by more than 1,400 people.
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