Winchester's controversial park-and-ride extension will be built as soon as possible, says Hampshire County Council.

An historic ruling in the Court of Appeal spells the end of campaigners' hopes of stopping a wildflower meadow, which was created from former highway land on the outskirts of the city, being concreted over again.

With planning permission for the extension due to expire in October and government funding also in jeopardy, victory for the county was vital.

Wednesday's hearing overruled a High Court judge who last year ordered the council to reconsider its decision to offer land at Magdalen Hill Down in compensation for Bar End Meadow. The outcome is a bitter defeat for campaigner, Elspeth Murray, of Hubert Road, Winchester, who was refused leave to appeal to the House of Lords.

Her case had been that "mitigation" land was nowhere near as ecologically diverse as Bar End Meadow, nor as easily accessible-particularly for the disabled.

After the hearing, she spoke of her sadness: "The people of Winchester will never forgive or forget this appalling environmental vandalism," she said.

Lord Justice Carnwath said he well understood the strength of her objections, particularly as Bar End Meadow had itself been set aside as replacement land after the M3 extension was built through Twyford Down in the early 1990s.

But government consent for its development was only granted on condition that suitable "mitigation" land was offered by the council to compensate for its loss.

In November last year, High Court judge, Mr Justice Ouseley, upheld her complaint that the council had not carried out a proper comparison of alternative sites and ordered it to reconsider.

The council has since done so and decided that Magdalen Hill Down was the best and most feasible.

Allowing the council's appeal, Lord Justice Carnwath said that, although further from the city, with time and proper management, Magdalen Hill Down had the potential to become as ecologically valuable as Bar End Meadow.

Keith Story, chairman of the Winchester Meadows Conservation Alliance, which had been campaigning for years against the park-and-ride extension, said he was "very disappointed".

The county council said the court decision meant work on the extension would begin "as soon as possible".

"Not only did the court rule in favour of the county council, but it reversed the previous award of costs against the county."

County leader, Ken Thornber, described the outcome as "a victory for common sense".

"This long, overdue decision is a complete vindication for the scheme, after years of unnecessary stalling."