A VILLAGE green has been saved from a 20-metre high mobile phone being erected on the land following a row over the plans.

Some residents living around Lockerley Green were shocked to discover a letter outlining plans to build the mast on the green.

A pre-application letter from construction group, Galliford Try PLC, stated the mast would be needed to rollout "smart energy metering access" in areas where mobile signal is too weak for meters to work.

It could also give "improved coverage for voice and data services" to O2 customers, according to the letter.

However, after residents voiced their outrage over the proposals, a spokesperson from Cornerstone, which Galliford Try is an agent for, revealed it has agreed to spare the green and look at other sites for the mast.

They said: "Cornerstone, who manage O2’s planning applications, proposed a base station at Lockerley to enhance local network coverage for customers in the area.

"As a result of consultation with the local community, we agreed to look into other potential sites in the area."

This comes after deputy leader for Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC), councillor Nick Adams-King, announced a crunch meeting was organised by Romsey's MP, which saw community leaders and a representative from O2 come together, in a bid to relocate the mast.

Mr Adams-King wrote in a Facebook post: "Thanks to Caroline Nokes, a meeting was held between representatives of Lockerley Parish Council, Lockerley's TVBC councillor, Ali Johnston, and I with a representative of O2.

"At the meeting, we explained that there was very much an appetite for a phone mast in Lockerley, but that the current proposal was not the right location.

"I'm delighted to tell you the O2 representative agreed that, given the planning concerns, they would not be proceeding with an application for the current site and would work with the parish council to find an acceptable alternative one."