A SCHEME to transform one of the New Forest's key waterfront areas has been given a major cash boost at the last minute.

The £499,000 project will include a boardwalk along the water's edge at Hythe Promenade and an amphitheatre near the rear of the Lord Nelson pub.

It will also involve new street lighting, better access and improved surfacing.

It was initially expected to cost about £350,000, but when the cost went up Hampshire County Council added a further £95,000 to the £223,000 it had already committed.

With New Forest Council putting in £169,000, Hythe and Dibden Parish Council £10,000 and local sponsors donating £2,000, the scheme is now ready to go.

It is expected that the work will begin next spring and be completed in the autumn

The additional money from the county was welcomed by Hythe's county councillor Brian Dash, who said: "Hythe is one of the few communities along the Waterside that has direct access to the water and it is vital that we get the facilities that enable people to enjoy that access."

He was clearly still smarting from a recent refusal by New Forest planners to allow a small housing development near the waterfront because of a warning from the environment Agency that there could be flooding problems in the future.

"The downside is that while we are providing much-needed improvement to the promenade environment, the district council is refusing planning permission for quality buildings on the grounds of a crazy objection by the Environment Agency because it might flood once in 200 years."

There was also a welcome for the proposed promenade improvements by Hythe councillor and town centre advisory group leader Maureen Robinson.

She said: "Over the years, the local councils have been gradually working to improve Hythe and we have taken every opportunity to make a difference."

Those improvements have included work on Prospect Place, The Marsh, High Street and at the rear of the council offices at The Grove.

Mrs Robinson said: "There is still more to be done and the next one which may be looked at is the St John's Street car park area.

St John's Street lacks a footway on the side closest to the water, which is also the side where many new residents have bought homes."