EASTLEIGH Borough Council is preparing to spend another quarter of a million pounds of taxpayers’ money on the controversial Rose Bowl project.

The extra cash is what council officers estimate it will cost to take on a trio of hotel giants in a judicial review, pushing financial and legal fees for the project to more than £1m.

Meridian Leisure, MacDonalds Hotels and Shire Hotel are fighting to stop the council shelling out £32.2m to build a 175-bedroom Hilton hotel and conference centre and state-ofthe- art media facilities at the cricket ground development at West End.

The hoteliers are claiming that councillors did not have access to relevant reports when they made their decisions and that there is a possible financial impact on the taxpayer and issues surrounding the financial condition of the Rose Bowl.

“Our case is rock solid,” said Moez Janmohamed, boss of Meridian Leisure and owner of the Holiday Inn at West End.

“I’m not looking at this as a hotelier. I’m looking at it as a taxpayer. If commercial businessmen have walked away from this deal, what right does the council have to use taxpayers’ money to build it?”

While the council says it is confident of winning the legal battle, it claims the delay could kill off the project, which is due to be completed in May, 2011.

A report, which came before councillors on Thursday, says: “It is disappointing that these three hoteliers are seeking to prevent a development which will bring a significant economic benefit to the area.

“The financial projections for the hotel and Rose Bowl will have to be completely revised to determine whether there is still a viable proposal.”

Council leader, Keith House, has maintained that the scheme would attract jobs and money and bring world-class sporting and entertainment events to the county. The authority also claims that the development would bring up to 300 construction jobs to the area, 120 permanent jobs and fluctuating casual work.

The plan also allows for a Rose Bowl Trust which would take £1 for every ticket sold and donate it to a community cause.

It is hoped that this would level out at £100,000 a year.

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