The Mendip Farmers Hunt has abandoned plans for a new hunt kennels near Chewton Mendip in Somerset.

After pressure from Waldegrave Estates, members of the farmers hunt told Mendip District Council that they were withdrawing their application for a hunt kennels, stables and a home for kennels staff at Splot, between Chewton Mendip and Emborough.

A vigorous campaign against the hunt kennels plan had been fought by many Chewton Mendip residents.

Meetings in the summer saw villagers turn out in droves to protest the proposals and there was a series of heated meeting when more than 150 people packed into the village hall to confront hunt masters in May last year. At the meeting Lord Waldegrave, who allows the hunt to use part of the estate, and whose land borders the site criticised the hunt for the way they had acted over the plans, saying: "I let the hunt use an odd 1,200 acres of my land.

"It is pretty poor that the hunt has not been courteous enough to tell me."

Alastair Martin, chairman of the farmers hunt, said that it had been discussions with the Waldegrave Estates that had caused them to withdraw their proposals.

"We have abandoned it," he said.

"The main reason was the discussions we have had with the Waldegrave Estates. They have always been friends of the hunt, and we did not wish to risk damaging that relationship."

Mr Martin added that the hunt would instead be hoping to continue to use a site at Mountain Ash, near Green Ore, which they have been occupying since August and for which they hope to get short-term planning permission.

He said: "The hounds and horses have been at Mountain Ash since August and short-term permission has been approved for the next three years.

"This will give us a breathing space.

"We have had no complaints at Mountain Ash, and we did go and see every neighbour before moving there."

Proposals to develop land at Underbarrow Farm, near Priddy, were nothing to do with the hunt, he said.