Fears of another congested edge-of-town shopping district like Southampton Road being born in Harnham have persuaded district planners to refuse businessman Carl

Chambers permission to move his In-Excess shop 400 yards to a bigger site.

Planning officers issued stern warnings that allowing part of the former Gibbs Mew warehouse to convert to a shop would "put a dent in the armour" that is defending Harnham from being swamped with superstores and shops.

Local residents who supported Mr Chambers were told there were many large stores waiting to move into Harnham.

Planning committee chairman Paul Leo told Harnham residents: "Southampton Road is a monument to what can go wrong."

Mr Chambers, who started In-Excess ten years ago, had the support of more than 140 local people in his bid to convert office space at Anchor House in Netherhampton Road, which he now owns, into a shop so he can close down his smaller shop nearby in Harnham.

But Cllr John Abbott described the application as a "poisoned chalice" and a "Pandora's Box" opening up development prospects in Harnham that the council would find difficult to control.

Mr Chambers said he would be lodging an appeal. "I have ploughed too much money into this project to let it drop now," he said.