A MASSIVE superstore scheme that would create 70 jobs in the New Forest is about to be thrown out, the Daily Echo can reveal.

An application to build a Homebase store at Lymington will be rejected amid fears that it would draw trade away from the town centre.

UBS Asset Management has applied for permission to construct the multi-million-pound scheme at Ampress business Park, Southampton Road.

Today, the company said the proposed development would benefit the environment by reducing the number of car journeys between the Forest and major DIY outlets in Southampton.

However, a New Forest Council spokesman said officers acting under delegated powers were poised to refuse the 25,000 sq ft store.

He said: "The application won't go before the planning committee because officers are in accord with the views submitted by Lymington Town Council.

"The scheme comprises a retail development on an industrial site. There are also subsidiary issues relating to access, traffic generation and the potential impact on the town centre."

A Somerfield supermarket was opened on the Ampress site last year, but the spokesman claimed there was no comparison between the two schemes.

He said: "Somerfield is a small convenience store attached to a petrol filling station, whereas Homebase is a retail warehouse. It's a fair-sized scheme that's on an entirely different scale."

The town council has objected to the proposed new store because it could take trade away from the High Street and the weekly market.

Lymington Chamber of Commerce has also expressed concern about the application, even though Homebase says the scheme would create up to 70 jobs.

Charles du Parc, president of the chamber, said: "We don't want to see Ampress turn into a retail park. It should be for small business units only.

"Most of the shops in Lymington are small independent businesses and a five per cent swing in trade either way can make the difference between surviving and not surviving."

A UBS spokesman said: "We think the scheme would benefit Lymington and the New Forest as a whole.

"For one thing it would reduce the number of traffic movements between the Forest and major DIY stores in the Southampton and Christchurch areas."