CAMPAIGNERS have all but given up their fight to prevent an 18th century coastal fort from conversion into luxury flats.

More than 1,000 people signed a petition calling for a plan to convert Fort Gilkicker, on Stokes Bay, Gosport, to be refused.

But they failed to persuade borough council planning councillors of the value of keeping the fort as a museum piece and planning permission was granted to the Phoenix Trust.

Led by Don Gordon, the protesters took their last-ditch fight to Prince Charles, who is the president of the trust, and to English Heritage.

The trust preserves historic buildings and other important landmarks by encouraging investment. But campaigners claim conversion into flats would not preserve the fort, but desecrate it in an act of "vandalism", by destroying its original character.

Their alternative plan was to plead to the borough council for it to bid for National Lottery heritage money to restore the fort and open it for visitors as a museum.

Mr Gordon, of Solent Way, Alverstoke, Gosport, said he was disappointed at the reaction of Prince Charles and the trust.

He said: "It looks like the end of a long campaign for us.

"We were bitterly disappointed when the council ignored the overwhelming public opinion against this.

"This public opinion angle is the only remaining piece of ammunition we have left in our locker, otherwise we've all but given up trying to save the jewel in the crown of Stokes Bay.

"In the National Lottery rules and the rules of the trust it says they can only support a project if it has majority public support, which this plainly doesn't.''

He has written to the National Lottery and the trust on this point.

In the meantime, he received a letter in response, from Prince Charles's office saying he had merely "noted" the views of the objectors.

English Heritage also wrote back to Mr Gordon, explaining it had to support the Phoenix Project because it preserved the fort with a commercial element.

The trust is applying for lottery money to kick-start the project. When the luxury flats are sold, proceeds have to be used, under the trust's rules to renovate aspects of the fort and provide a mini-museum.