PLANS to turn part of Lymington into a conservation area have been unveiled.

New Forest District Council chiefs say the Waterford area of the town is of special architectural or historic interest.

The proposal follows a review of all conservation areas in the New Forest area.

A council spokesman said: "We wanted to see whether there were further areas of Lymington, in addition to the historic central parts, which should now be considered for conservation area status.

"The Waterford area is residential in character.

"The streets where the conservation area is proposed generally date from the last quarter of the 19th century, although with early 19th-century origins on Bath Road, where houses originally overlooked the Lymington river.

"It is the most intact and consistently attractive example in Lymington of this period of building, and many houses retain their original detailing, while the layout of the area has altered little since its development."

The recommended boundary of the conservation area contains Stanley Road and parts of Bath Road, Kings Saltern Road and Westfield Road.