TELECOMMUNICATIONS giant BT Cellnet has dramatically backed out of plans for a new mobile phone tower at Bishopstoke.

The move comes in the face of a wave of protest against the proposed 25-metre tower, which would have been built near to a proposed major development area (MDA).

Eastleigh council's local area committee for Bishopstoke, Fair Oak and Horton Heath was set to give the go-ahead to the proposal for West Horton Farm in West Horton Lane, last night.

The committee's approval would have gone against objections from the council's head of planning, who believed the tower would have been too near the proposed site for a MDA of up to 4,000 homes.

The council's head of architecture and landscape design, and the head of countryside and recreation services had also objected to the tower's impact on the environment.

But committee chairman Philip Spearey told the meeting BT Cellnet had withdrawn its application for the 25-metre lattice tower, six antennas, two microwave dishes, an equipment cabin, electricity meter cabinet and compound enclosure.

He said: "There have been a number of concerns throughout the borough about telecommunications towers.

"Myself and the vice-chairman talked to officers about this and we felt it was right and proper we should get BT along to explain why they needed it there and to justify it.

"They were going to do that this evening but presumably they have looked at the justifications themselves and perhaps they've decided there's no real justification, and that the additional coverage this will give is not going go be justifiable, particularly in an area of conservation."

He added: "Let this be a lesson to people that we don't just have to take these things lying down We can challenge them and we are going to take particular note of applications for telecommunications towers."