RESIDENTS in Lymington believe they must act now or miss a once-in-a-lifetime chance to save the town's waterfront gateway from development.

At a public meeting tonight, residents will voice their anger over plans to build hundreds of homes and a hotel on the edge of the Lymington River.

Paxton Holdings has applied for permission to build 230 luxury flats, 69 affordable homes, shops and a 100-room hotel on the former Webb's chicken factory site at Bridge Road.

The 7.5-acre site has been vacant since the factory closed in 2001.

A group of residents calling themselves the Otter Bridge Committee are demanding a more imaginative plan for the site.

The committee says the scheme is too packed with housing, will have almost no public open space, is likely to cause traffic problems and may result in flooding issues too.

Committee spokesman Richard Webb said: "My home in Undershore Road overlooks the site but I am not against its development as long as it's a scheme the town can be proud of, worthy of mention in the guide books of 2010."

The plan also faces opposition from Lymington Town Council.

Now the Lymington Society is also calling for a rethink. The society will host tonight's meeting at 7.30pm in the community centre, New Street, Lymington.