CONTROVERSIAL plans to bulldoze a New Forest hotel and replace it with scores of flats have sparked more than 200 protests.

Objections are flooding in to the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA), which has received an application to demolish the Lyndhurst Park Hotel and redevelop the landmark site.

An NPA spokesman said the authority had so far received about 250 representations - the “vast majority” of which were from people opposed to the scheme.

Winchester-based PegasusLife is seeking consent to replace the 60-bed hotel with 12 holiday lets and 74 retirement apartments for older residents.

Some people support the demolition of the building, describing it as an eyesore, but many others want it to be restored to its former glory.

The NPA is also being urged to reject the application on the grounds that Lyndhurst needs housing for young first-time buyers, not more flats for the elderly.

Critics include the Lyndhurst-based New Forest District Council, which says the proposed development, including the “blocky nature” of the main buildings, “lacks the imagination that would be expected for this sensitive landmark site”.

Fellow objectors Jim and Evelyn New, of nearby Chapel Lane, say the scheme would substantially alter the character of Lyndhurst.

They add: “The development does not meet ant local need, as far as we can see, and would further skew the age profile of the village. Currently 42 per cent of the population is over 55 compared to 28 per cent for England as a whole.”

Maggie Palma, who owns a gift shop in the High Street adds: “A huge development such as this would completely ruin the image of our lovely High Street.”

Another objector claims the proposed development “belongs in a city, not a village”.

As reported in the Daily Echo, the hotel has been vacant since it closed in 2014 and is in a poor state of repair.

Built as Glasshayes House in 1810, its history includes Poldark-style smuggling and even a visit by author Robert Louis Stevenson.

The planning application cites the “very high need” for bespoke homes for older people and says the sensitively-designed scheme will improve the area.

A PegasusLife spokesman told the Daily Echo: “We firmly believes our proposals for the hotel will enhance the site and provide many benefits for the village and people of Lyndhurst.

“We considered the case for a partial or complete conversion as an alternative to wholesale demolition.

“Given its current condition and limited heritage value, we have prepared and submitted a planning application for the redevelopment of the site.