TIME has been called on a former West End inn which was at the centre of a "Save Our Pub" campaign.

Eastleigh councillors last night cleared the way for the Lamp and Mantle to be demolished and for the controversial site at Swaythling Road to be redeveloped with a two and three storey building of 34 flats with car parking.

The pub was closed nearly 20 months ago and, shortly afterwards, the building was ravaged by fire which left substantial damage.

Locals had launched a campaign to save the watering hole which had been a prominent part of the village for decades.

Hopes of an 11th hour reprieve were finally dashed when Eastleigh Council served a building preservation order on the 1920s pub - only to see the move overturned by Whitehall.

A pub has stood on the site since the start of the 1800s but the Lamp and Mantle went with a whimper last night when the borough's Hedge End, West End and Botley local area committee were told only three letters of objection had been lodged against the latest planning application.

It was Orchard Homes and Developments Ltd's third attempt to get planning permission and the latest scheme to help fill a gap in West End's housing needs got unanimous support from councillors.

Senior planning officer Andy Grandfield told the committee: "The building would be a significant structure in a prominent location."

But he added: "Elevations have been broken up to reduce the mass of the building, privacy standards have been met and the initial concerns about the impact on the road junction have been addressed."

A spokesman for Orchard Homes said the developers hoped that the mix of one and two bed apartments would meet a local need and that the scheme also allowed for four apartments of affordable housing.

Council leader Keith House said the council had tried to get the building listed because it was one of West End's few older buildings.

He suggested the Department of Culture, Media and Sport should be renamed "the Department for Lack of Culture" because they hadn't been interested. He also praised Orchard Homes for working hard to produce an acceptable scheme.

He said: "It is absolutely bang in line with the need in the community. It is a well-designed scheme and it is going to look attractive."

Local area committee chairman Councillor George Fraser said the site was an eyesore and added: "I welcome this application. It is a vast improvement on the one before."