MORE than 600 new jobs in Southampton hang in the balance now plans to open a new Ikea store will go to a public inquiry next year.

The Swedish furniture giant wants to build a new store on the former Calor Gas site at the Millbrook Industrial Estate in Third Avenue.

The development could net the city council more than £4.5m as well as creating vital new jobs in an unemployment black spot.

Now the future of this key project is in the hands of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott with an eight-day public inquiry scheduled to start on May 13, 2003.

Southampton Container Terminals Ltd claimed that the expansion of the port of Southampton would be jeopardised if the nearby project was approved.

City council bosses are behind the new Ikea store which the company believe will generate a £57.6m turnover.

Ikea plans to implement a £1m traffic scheme aimed at limiting disruption on local roads leading to the new site - which had been

earmarked to open late in 2003.

Company bosses will spend an additional £100,000 over three years to subsidise existing bus routes to and from the city centre.

Outer Shirley Regeneration Programme leaders are also working closely with Ikea to make sure that local people are provided with sufficient skills to apply for jobs at the proposed store.

The proposed Millbrook store, which would include 1,398 car parking spaces and will take 52 weeks to build, would open from 10am to 10pm Monday to Friday and 11am to 5pm on Sunday.

Ikea currently operates ten UK stores employing more than 6,000 people.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transport, Local Government & The Regions said: "We can confirm that the public inquiry will start on May 13, 2003 and is scheduled to last for eight days."