A HUGE industrial complex will be blown up to make way for almost 1,400 homes under plans submitted by a Hampshire consortium.

The former Fawley Power Station, which occupies a 300-acre site beside Southampton Water, will be destroyed in a series of controlled explosions if the application is given the go-ahead.

Buildings earmarked for demolition include the power station’s 650ft chimney — one of the Solent's biggest and best-known landmarks.

Two years ago owners Fawley Waterside unveiled plans to open a glass-sided restaurant at the top of the stack, which towers over the surrounding countryside.

But its proposal to retain the massive structure ran into opposition from planning chiefs, which criticised the chimney’s detrimental impact on the New Forest National Park.

Fawley Waterside says the stack is due to be replaced by what it describes a “smaller but very elegant” building.

The consortium wants to flatten the old power station in a three-phase scheme expected to take two years.

If the application is approved explosives will be used to destroy the boiler house, the turbine hall and the chimney. The circular control room, often dubbed The Flying Saucer, is also due to be demolished.

The oil-fired power station closed in 2013 after failing to meet modern environmental standards.

It has since been used as a location for films and TV series, including Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Red Dwarf, and the latest Star Wars movie Solo.

Fawley Waterside has devised an £800m plan to build 1,380 homes on the site, plus shops, community facilities and a luxury marina.

The application to flatten the existing complex includes a raft of measures to deal with noise, dust and the removal of hazardous materials.

According to the application the work will not cause any “unnecessary” noise or vibration.

It adds: “A specialist contractor will be employed to remove contaminants in a carefully controlled manner and in strict accordance with all current legislation.”

The application also claims the demolition will have “no direct impact” on neighbouring wildlife areas.

Last night the consortium said it hoped to start demolition in May, with the first explosion likely to take place in August.