Business owner appeals against decision that would see Fareham industrial park demolished

Kevin Arrowsmith, director of A & S Signs and Graphics Ltd, is continuing in his campaign against Fareham Borough Council after a planning decision was passed which would see the Apex Centre, home to 14 businesses, knocked down to make way for a bigger Lidl store.

The 47-year-old from Portchester said; '˜ I think the council were a bit premature in celebrating the evictions of these 14 Fareham engineering and manufacturing firms only to be replaced by one full--time retail job in the German firm Lidl's store expansion.

'˜We have been successful in having an appeal accepted by the High Court last Thursday.

'˜We owe a huge gratitude to our legal team, but we still need donations on our crowd justice page to fight this eviction.'

Mr Arrowsmith is crowdfunding £50,000 for the court case due to happen in September.

He previously received backing from the Environmental Law Foundation in a bid to quash the decision and papers to settle the dispute outside court were delivered to the council in June.

However Fareham Borough Council rejected the case put together by Frances Taylor Building for a judicial review of the decision.

Mr Arrowsmith said: '˜I am not surprised the council rejected the pre-court action paper to revoke the apparent unlawful planning application.'

The High Court case was thrown out after a judge made a legal ruling that there was no basis in the argument put forward by traders.

Mr Arrowsmith added: '˜I feel like the council has turned its back on us and Lidl have not offered assistance either.'

A spokesman for Fareham Borough Council said: '˜The council has been advised that Mr Arrowsmith's request to renew his application for permission to apply for Judicial Review will be heard on September 19 at an Oral Hearing.'

Fareham Borough Council was awarded £5,000 costs by the High Court.

The News approached Lidl for a comment.