CAMPAIGNERS have won a year-long battle to prevent a waste transfer station being built in the New Forest National Park.

Solent Skip Hire has been refused permission to turn its site at Upper Hangar Farm, Totton, into a facility handling 20,000 tonnes of rubbish a year.

The original application was thrown out by the National Park Authority (NPA) in August last year.

Solent Skip Hire lodged an appeal but Government-appointed planning inspector Geoffrey Hill has upheld the NPA’s decision, saying the scheme would urbanise a rural location.

Mr Hill said the site was currently used as a storage yard for empty skips and a parking area for lorries.

He added: “The present use is essentially low-key or even passive in that no waste is handled on the site and no processes are carried out.

“A waste sorting and transfer operation would be more active and is likely to involve more noise in terms of manoeuvring of vehicles, emptying of incoming skips and the loading of storage containers.

“There may also be a degree of dust and possibly odours arising at times.”

Mr Hill said the activity would be more urban than rural and added: “As such it would be incongruous in this rural location and would conflict with the primary principles of the National Park designation.

“I consider it would be incompatible with the cultural heritage of the national park.”

His decision represents a victory for NPA members, who went against the advice of planning officers and rejected the original application a year ago.

Objectors had included Netley Marsh Parish Council.

Cllr Sue Gordon, representing the group, lobbied the NPA’s planning committee and cited a similar scheme that had been refused seven years earlier.

She said: “The council was opposed to the idea which was proposed in 2007 when it was found it would be a detriment to the national park.

“This question has to be asked as to why it is back before us now because nothing has changed.

“Twenty thousand tonnes of waste a year will be imported into the area.”

Last night Netley Marsh parish and district councillor Les Puttock said: “We are trying to preserve the national park. There’s a big tip at Marchwood and another one between Lymington and New Milton.

“We don’t need another one here.

“The applicants should find somewhere outside the national park.”