CONTROVERSIAL plans to move Canterbury College out of the city to a campus in the countryside have been dropped.

College governors have decided against the scheme because of mounting costs and delays.

The final straw came when the Government recently ordered a second public inquiry.

Chasing the dream of the new campus on farmland at Nackington has already taken seven years and cost the college £1 million.

Principal Geoff Terry said: "To pursue this planning application might result in us being in a state of limbo for another five to seven years and cost a further £500,000.

"The college has acknowledged that things have changed and holding on to the old vision no longer made sense. It is time to move on."

The announcement will be seen as a victory by protestors, including the action groups People Against Canterbury Expansion (PACE) and Langton and Nackington Road Residents' Association which have waged a vigorous campaign against the relocation.

They argued that it was sacrilege to build on Grade One farmland and the development would create disastrous traffic problems.