THE first shots have been fired in the battle to stop the controversial multi-million pound redevelopment of the home of Hampshire cricket.

Weeks after threatening to take action, a group of three hotel giants has officially started the ball rolling in their bid to launch a judicial review into the £48m Rose Bowl project.

As reported in the Daily Echo, rival hoteliers oppose Eastleigh Borough Council’s investment of £32m in the scheme, calling it a “misuse of state funds” and breaching competition regulations.

Now the group, headed by the Meridian Leisure Hotels chain, which owns a Holiday Inn just a few hundred yards away, has notified the council of its intention to seek a judicial review.

Eastleigh Borough Council leader Keith House has denied any wrong doing by the council and believes this legal action is just rival hotels trying to stop competition.

He also warned that any delay through a legal challenge could wreck the scheme, destroying an opportunity to boost the borough’s economy by millions.

The council decided to stump up the £32m of taxpayers’ cash for a 175-bedroom hotel and conference centre on the Rose Bowl site in West End.

The project will also add seating for an extra 5,000 spectators bringing the capacity to 25,000 and there will also be a new entrance to improve access and the nine-hole golf course extended to championship size.

But Moez Janmohamed, Meridian Leisure Hotels boss, believes the council has no business using taxpayers’ money.

He said: “If the banks walked away from this deal they actually rejected this. If private investors decided not to invest in this then what on earth was Eastleigh council doing investing in this transaction at risk to the taxpayer?

He added that his group was asking the courts to rule that the council’s funding was unfair competition.

The council now has 21 days to respond and is currently taking professional legal and financial advice so that it can be confident that they are acting within the law.

Work currently being carried out on site is being paid for by the Rose Bowl so at there will be no delays at this stage.

Cllr Keith House said: “The action comes from rival hotels that are trying to stop competition in the hotel sector.

“The council has acted perfectly properly throughout and even at this stage I hope these hotels will think again and not try to block this exciting project being jobs, investment and Test cricket to Hampshire.

“We will give careful consideration to the legal papers served on the council but aim for this not to delay the project.”