FURNITURE giant Ikea is on the verge of launching a bid to open a superstore on the former Pirelli cable works in Southampton, the Daily Echo can today reveal.
The Swedish firm is putting the finishing touches to its plans even though a government planning inspector rejected the site as unsuitable three years ago.
A megastore on the West Quay Road land would bring 500 jobs to the city and be a magnet for hundreds of thousands of shoppers.
It is the third time Ikea has tried to open a branch in Southampton and the second attempt it has made to take over the Pirelli site. A previous scheme for the former Calor Gas headquarters in Third Avenue, Millbrook, was given planning permission but was scrapped by store bosses after the company was told it would have to go to a public inquiry.
See today's Daily Echo for details.
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