PLANS for a giant industrial complex creating 3,600 jobs on the outskirts of Southampton have been dealt a blow.

Developers want to create a huge business park housing dozens of firms on Adanac Park next to the M271 at Nursling.

Now the scheme has suffered a major setback after councillors blocked bids to develop two key areas of industry on the 78-acre site close to the Ordnance Survery headquarters.

Test Valley Borough Council’s planning committee ruled that the two zones creating nearly half of the industry there failed to provide enough skilled work and conflict with the borough’s planning rules.

They drew on evidence suggesting areas of proposed warehousing would create 1,800 fewer jobs than if the space was reserved for high quality ‘science park’ firms as proposed in the authority’s planning framework.

As previously reported, Barker-Mill Estate’s proposals to create more than 47,000 sq m of business space and 31,700 sq m of storage and distribution space hung in the balance after the borough’s southern planning committee rejected four out of nine applications for development there.

But on Tuesday night the higher planning control committee put the final nail in the coffin by rejecting bids for 27,600 sq m and 4,100 sq m of storage and distribution space.

Councillor Nigel Anderdon, who represents Nursling, told the committee that the proposed buildings would be “overbearing” and cause noise, smells, dust and fumes for nearby residents.

Kristine Salomon-Olsen from the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce said extra distribution space is vital for the city to power out of the recession.

The committee granted permission for 20,583 sq m of business floor space and to create 23 homes on the Bargain Farm site which were previously blocked by the southern committee.

Plans to create two other 10,840 sq m and 12,941 sq m of light industrial use on the site and a restaurant in Adanac Triangle have already been passed.