A SHIPYARD has been told it can retain a waterfront café that was installed without planning permission.

New Forest District Council has approved a retrospective application relating to the Berthon site at Bath Road in Lymington.

The food and drink outlet, which serves pizza and coffee, overlooks the Lymington River.

The application said: "This modest, functional café offers the only on-site facility for refreshments and is a requirement of the Gold Anchor scheme, which has been developed by the marina industry with the specific objective of raising standards and providing 'customer centric' services."

Lymington and Pennington Town Council supported the proposal to retain the facility.

Now the application has been approved by the district council on condition the café operates only between 8am and 30 minutes after midnight.

A council report said some of the structures amounted to development - and thus needed planning permission - because of their size and degree of permanency.

"The buildings are relatively low in height and integrate with the surrounding commercial context of the application site."

The statement said the sale of food and drink represented a relatively small scale use within the context of the site's wider commercial function.

"It is considered that the scale and nature of the structures would inherently limit the intensity and type of use.

"The council's environmental health team have been consulted and raised no objection, subject to a condition restricting the hours of use of the development."