The berths will be built alongside the old Husband's Shipyard at Cracknore Hard if planning permission is granted, but a similar proposal submitted by Bride Marine in 2002 was blown out of the water by the subsequently rejected container terminal at Dibden Bay.

New Forest District Council rejected the marina application after English Nature warned that the local bird population would suffer if both schemes were approved.

The Dibden Bay plan was later refused on environmental grounds after a 13-month public inquiry. Oceanic Estates has already been given the go-ahead to build a 40-bed hotel at Cracknore Hard.

A company spokesman said:

"We want to regenerate the area, which is a bit run-down, and improve public access to the waterfront. The previous plan was rejected because councillors were worried about the combined effect of the marina and the Dibden Bay scheme, but that scheme has gone away and the district council has now received a stand-alone application."

Marchwood Parish Council is backing the proposal, but English Nature said it was still considering its response to the proposal.

The scheme coincides with plans by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) to redevelop Husband's Shipyard.