Hundreds of new homes are to be built in the New Forest to ease the area’s housing crisis.

Planners are meeting next week to approve one of the biggest housing projects undertaken by the authority.

The council aims to provide at least 1,200 social housing units by building new homes and buying existing ones.

But the multi-million-pound scheme will help only a fifth of the 5,200 households on the council’s waiting list.

Sky-high property prices in the Forest have created a huge demand for affordable housing. A report to next week’s Cabinet says it might be possible to provide 1,496 affordable homes between now and 2026.

However, housing chiefs say the economic climate means the true figure is more likely to be about 1,200.