WINCHESTER College has bowed to public reaction and diluted its radical plans to transform its water meadows.

The school has announced that it intended to restore the meadows to their former glory by removing a huge number of trees and shrubs.

Its aim was to open up views, restore grazing and so give an important boost to wetland flora and fauna.

The Hampshire Chronicle reported in the spring that the proposal had sparked opposition from people living in the St Cross area, unhappy about the threat to treasured leafy views.

Some 220 people in the Kingsgate Road area organised a petition to voice their concerns about the future of the site of special scientific interest.

Now college estates bursar Robin Chute has revealed that the plans have now been amended in the light of the public reaction.

Mr Chute said figures of the potential loss of some 2,000 trees had been bandied about, and that in fact the likely number of chopped trees would be about 200.

The axe will bite into invasive non-native species such as Brazilian wingnut, Italian poplar and swamp cypress.

Dead, dying and deceased trees will also be chopped, starting in about a year’s time.

Some grazing by around four to six cattle would be reintroduced for the first time since the 1960s.

The focus will be on the area north of Garnier Road, which is described by conservation quango Natural England as in an “unfavourable and declining condition”.

Mr Chute said the aim was never to remove all trees, but said the public reaction had led to a rethink.

He said: “We have listened to people and the proposals have been tempered.

“We will retain more trees in the Falloden area. The last thing we want to do is upset 200 people living on Kingsgate Road.”

He said in theory Natural England could force the college to remove more trees.

“We have to strike a balance between what Natural England want with more grazing and fewer trees, and the fishermen who want as many trees retained as possible.

“Because of the objections we have persuaded Natural England to tone down their wish list.”

The latest plans will be unveiled at a lecture in the college science school lecture theatre on Friday, September 4.

It will be presented by Kim Wilkie, landscape consultant, Graham Roberts, of the Hampshire and IoW Wildlife Trust, and Dr Rue Ekins, of Natural England.

The land south of Garnier Road is currently grazed by cattle by local farmer Francis Windibank. Natural England classes it as “unimproved lowland fen meadow”.