CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save Southampton's Boating Lake from being turned into a meadow are celebrating after the proposals were thrown out by the city council today.

As previously reported by the Daily Echo the Environment Agency had put in a bid to infill the lake that is within Southampton Sports Centre and turn it into a wildflower meadow.

The scheme provoked substantial local opposition from those who said the plan was inappropriate within the Sports Centre and on ecology grounds as the lake provided a habitat for wildlife.

The planning and rights of way panel heard how in filling of the lake had already begun after temporary permission had been granted by Southampton City Council as the landowner, who held the land in trust on behalf of the people of the city.

The EA who were not at yesterday's meeting proposed to make their temporary permission permanent by using soil and material extracted from the neighbouring flood drainage works at the golf course to fill the lake.

Although the officers recommended that the plan be agreed it was on the proviso that the EA extended the plan to include a wetland and pond area that would account for about a third of the site.

However, no agreement had yet been reached.

In dismissing the application members agreed that more work had to be done on coming up with a more appropriate and sustainable use of the land within the context of the sports centre.