“I KNOW I’m not going to win.”

Those are the words of resignation from the owner of a “kinky hotel” in Southampton, which opened without planning permission at the weekend.

Martin Millar, who hosted a grand opening event at Club Kiss in Woolston just four days ago, has admitted defeat to council chiefs in his bid to run the venue as a swingers’ hotel.

But Mr Millar said it would be business as usual at the club in St Anne’s Road until his planning application is officially thrown out by councillors.

The latest twist comes after Southampton City Council bosses claimed that Mr Millar had “declared war” on them, by pressing ahead with the club’s opening night last Saturday.

Ward councillor Warwick Payne told the Daily Echo that he would “fight tooth and nail” to make sure the venue, which replaced the former JCT2 club in Calmore, was closed down.

Despite claiming he is now resigned to abandoning the venture, Mr Millar will go ahead with a programme of events planned throughout October and November – including a Pink Kink Fetish and Swingers Party on Saturday.

He could face another backlash from residents after revealing that his “Plan B” was to turn the building, called Milton House, into student accommodation.

In a brief statement, Mr Millar told the Daily Echo: “I know now that I’m not going to win.

“Plan B will have to come into play because I have bills to pay on this place and I’ve got it for two years. I will be speaking to the council about the possibility of renting it out to students.”

Cllr Payne, who is also the council’s housing and leisure boss, said: “As it stands, we have a lot of outraged residents who want to see Club Kiss closed down as soon as possible. “There’s absolutely no support for this club in Woolston. I haven’t met anyone in the area who has got a good word to say about it.

“They all want it gone, and when you get that sort of mandate it’s my job as a councillor to make sure the will of the residents wins through.

“I can assure them we are doing everything in our power to shut it down, by consulting the planning teams, licensing teams and also the police.

“It’s merely a question of going through the proper processes to make sure that can happen. It may be lengthy, but it will happen.”

Cllr Payne added that Mr Millar would be “much more likely” to gain planning permission for Milton House if he applied to turn the property into a home for multiple occupancy.