WE WILL fight to the bitter end. This is the message from an army of residents in a leafy Southampton suburb who gathered this week to deliver their resounding warning to city bosses.

Scores of Upper Shirley residents gathered outside Taunton's College to ram home the message that they oppose plans to build 12 new houses on college playing fields.

And the man behind the campaign, Anver Jeevanjee, says they won't give up easily.

"This isn't going to go away. The council say they'll postpone the decision meeting to November but we're going to keep the fight up until the last day.

"We will collect money together and if it comes to it we will go to the High Court and fight it out there. We just can't keep putting buildings all over the city."

The debate over whether to build on playing fields at the Hill Lane sixth form college has been rumbling on for years.

Several city primary schools and a secondary school all use the playing fields for sports.

Homeowners in the area have blitzed local politicians with letters and e-mails, held meetings and distributed thousands of leaflets.

Other city residents' associations have pledged their support and Hampshire MEP Roy Perry has even promised to raise the issue in top-level European parliament.

But things are coming to a head as council planning bosses gear up to take their last look at the proposals.

Mr Jeevanjee added: "We want the council to look again at the original plans, we want them to go back to square one. It's a major development and everybody should have been consulted properly - we say they haven't been."

The development is due to be discussed by the planning committee in November or December.