A PETITION has been set up to combine support for the renovation of the historic Ringwood town clock.

The application to electrify the hands of the clock and restore the landmark to its original condition at Friday's Cross was deferred by New Forest District Council's planning committee last month.

Despite having the full support of Ringwood Town Council and wide-reaching support across the town, the conservation officer recommended refusal of the.

The officer said the plan would lead to a loss of heritage and impact the integrity of a listed building.

At the meeting no decision was made.

The application was deferred after Cllr Michael Thierry and Cllr Steve Rippon-Swaine were advised not to vote due to Ringwood Town Council donating a grant for the clock.

The petition to push for planning permission has been organised by Ringwood resident Alan Golding.

It will be available to sign at Ringwood Gateway and a number of businesses across the town.

"I have lived in Ringwood all my life and the location of the clock makes it a fundamental part of town," Mr Golding said.

"It is an old building and it seems ridiculous to not have the clock working.

"I speak to a lot of people in the town and everyone feels the same way about it.

"There are old buildings with all sorts of technology in them. Having the clock working would be no different."

Applicant Chris Wood was asked by officers to consider other ways of getting the clock working whilst maintaining the original movement in its position, or to use the original movement.

A New Forest District Council spokesperson said: "In line with officers' advice at the meeting, members deferred consideration to allow for the submission of further information."

A meeting between Mr Wood and officers has taken place and the discussions are on-going.

If approved, the work would change the faded blue face with black numbers to its original colours - black with gold numbers.

The conservation officer's report suggests the loss of heritage caused by the the proposal is not appropriate.

In response, Mr Wood said the cost of renovating the actual timepiece is an additional £5,000, as well as costs of connecting to an electrical system, which he estimates to be at least £2,000.

Following a substantial community fundraising effort already, Mr Wood said raising additional funds would be unlikely to gain the required support.

A Go Fund Me page has seen nearly £4,000 raised for the project.

Ringwood Town Council delivered a Grant Aid cheque for £1,000 to support the proposal.