CAMPAIGNERS have won the first round of their battle to prevent a former transport hub being used for housing.

Civic chiefs have rejected a multi-million-pound proposal to bulldoze the old Lymington bus station and replace it with 17 sheltered flats for the elderly.

The application was described as “totally uninspiring” at a meeting of the district council’s planning committee.

Members heard that the scheme had sparked 50 letters of protest, some of which objected to the loss of the bus terminal.

One of the objections was lodged by the council’s own conservation team, which said the proposed development would have an adverse impact on the Lymington Conservation Area.

The committee meeting was attended by representatives from the applicant, Renaissance Retirement.

They said the company’s plan to transform the High Street site would result in a high quality development that would help meet the huge demand for retirement flats in the area.

But the £10 million scheme came under fire from Cllr Alison Hoare, a former chairman of the council.

She said: “Regardless of whether you want the bus station to be retained or not, this is a prime site for redevelopment and whatever is built there should be sympathetic to its beautiful and historic surroundings.

“This design is totally uninspiring. It’s a run-of-the-mill, off-the-block development.”

Cllr Anna Rostand, a former mayor of Lymington, was one of several speakers who cited the shortage of homes for young first-time buyers.

She added: “We’ve already got so many retirement homes in Lymington and I don’t think we need any more. You won’t be able to move in the High Street for old people and trolleys.”

The bus station, which closed last year, was operated by Wilts and Dorset.

In 2013 the company announced that the facility would be axed and sold off. Managers blamed a reduction in services caused by bus subsidy cuts and an increase in fuel duty.

Cllr David Harrison, leader of the Liberal Democrats, was the only member of the committee who voted in favour of the Renaissance scheme.

He said: “I can understand why people want to see the bus station retained but here we have a bus company that no longer sees this as a facility it needs to keep. We need to provide housing for elderly people.”

But the proposal was defeated by 19 votes to one.

Now campaigners must wait to learn if the applicant will lodge an appeal or submit a revised scheme.