CAMPAIGNERS who have spent eight years battling to protect part of Bournemouth’s green belt are celebrating after development plans were withdrawn.

Poole-based development company Troika was seeking a renewal of planning permission for a park and ride scheme and an A338 road junction but has now withdrawn its application.

It has still got planning permission to build offices on the adjacent Wessex Fields site but this development will not be able to go ahead without the park and ride and new road junction. And that news has delighted residents, who have waged a long war against the controversial plans.

Christine O’Luby, of the Friends of Riverside, said: “After eight years of campaigning to stop construction of the park and ride and junction and prevent destruction of the Riverside Avenue green belt, this means that everyone’s efforts to save this area of green belt have therefore proved worthwhile and we are delighted to hear this news.”

She and other residents had argued against the renewal of planning permission on the grounds that Bournemouth’s local transport plan did not identify a need for a park and ride scheme and that the green belt should be sacrosanct from any form of development.

Wendy Sharp, spokesman for the Holdenhurst Village Action Group, said: “The massive, elevated dumbbell junction over the Spur Road would have caused terrible blight to the residents of Holdenhurst and Townsend and increased accidents on the most dangerous stretch of road in Bournemouth.

“Holdenhurst residents are delighted and relieved to have this awful threat to our lives and our homes lifted.”

The park and ride application was first made in September 2004 and was originally refused by Bournemouth council. However following a public inquiry, a Secretary of State awarded planning permission to this and a plan to build offices on Wessex Fields.

Throop and Muscliff councillor Ron Whittaker said he believed the application would have been refused, if it had gone before the planning board.

“The park and ride was pie in the sky, you’ve only got to look at Poole to see that – no one uses it. As far as I’m concerned, this is a good decision.”

Efforts to contact Troika Developments were unsuccessful.