AN emphatic NO! That's the message from the leader of Hampshire County Council over plans to drill for oil on farmland in Hedge End.

Ken Thornber delighted hundreds of residents yesterday when he ditched the proposals - even if the company later successfully obtaines planning permission.

At a specially convened decision meeting Councillor Thornber was able to make the decision because the county council owns the land off Woodhouse Lane, on the Hedge End and Botley border.

He said the council needed to take a precautionary approach to use of council land, especially in the vicinity of school sites.

As previously reported in the Daily Echo, plans from Northern Petroleum to drill up to three exploratory wells in farmland, just yards from homes and Berrywood Primary School, have been met with fierce opposition. It's believed as much as £30m worth of oil lies beneath the site.

Hundreds of residents and parents of children at the school - which has a border 250 metres from the edge of the proposed site - have objected to the plans which include a 36m high mast and 24 hour drilling for up to seven weeks.

But yesterday, after weeks of packing out local parish and town council meetings and launching their own Say No campaign, they were celebrating after clearing the first hurdle.

However, objectors still have to wait for a decision from the council on whether or not to grant planning permission - another part of the process which must be carried out.

Spokesman for the campaign, Peter Burford said: "I'm very pleased. Although it's only the first hurdle, it's the right decision."

Another Hedge End resident, Christine Farrington, said: "I'm very pleased to see that a pressure group can still have some influence in the democratic process."

"What we want now is for Northern Petroleum to go away and annoy someone else," she added.

Making his decision Cllr Thornber said: "There is much local opposition to this plan and I have to say I share many of the concerns about the closeness of the site to Berrywood Primary School and the local community," he said.

"As we will not be making this land available, even if planning permission is subsequently granted, my decision on behalf of the county council, as landowner, means that the proposed oil exploration off Woodhouse Lane will not proceed."

But Keith House, leader of Eastleigh Borough Council warned that the fight wasn't over yet.

He said: "It's round one to the residents, but we haven't won the contest yet."

Conor Burns, the Conservative Party parliamentary candidate for Eastleigh, added that he would be handing over a petition containing more than 1,000 signatures when the county's regulatory committee meets to decide on whether to grant planning permission next month.

Northern Petroleum was unavailable for comment.