VILLAGERS have won their battle to stop a large futuristic detached house being built beside the River Itchen.

Around 30 residents gathered at Twyford Parish Hall last week to cross swords with developers.

The two sides had been scheduled to meet in March, but Winchester City Council abandoned the meeting at short notice.

Several villagers slammed the authority over the decision, having taken time off work to attend.

Around a dozen of them wrote to the council to object to the plans to construct the house in Finches Lane.

The applicant, Neil Briercliffe, wanted to build in the gardens of a pair of Grade-II listed cottages that are being converted into one home.

Residents slammed the scheme when it first surfaced because of the futuristic design - likenened to something out of Star Wars - which includes four towers.

At the meeting, planning officer, Neil Mackintosh, said: "The initial proposal didn't go down very well, and was known as the space ship'."

He said it had been redesigned to look more traditional, and officers backed the plans.

But Twyford Parish Council did not like it, and neither did Roger Walker from the village, who lobbied the city council's planning sub-committee.

"We believe the four towers are more in keeping with a modern superstore," he said.

The architect, Huw Thomas, replied that he had "bent over backwards" to produce a sympathetic design.

"I thought from the river it would look very pretty," he added.

Some members of the sub-committee agreed, including Cllr Anne Saunders, who said: "I know it isn't going to be popular with people in this hall, but I think it is something that in years to come the people of Twyford would grow to love."

Lib Dem Cllr Robert Johnston added: "In Winchester we have buildings all the way from the 12th century to the modern day, and I think this will fit in."

But Conservative Cllr Michael Read, added: "I believe it is over-development in this case, which is sad because I like the building."

The sub-committee rejected the scheme by six votes to three.