CAMPAIGNERS fighting for a Battle of Britain memorial in Weymouth say they have been told their application has been unsuccessful.

Rob Rooker, a former Weymouth resident, put forward an application at the beginning of February for a memorial to be built in the Nothe Gardens.

The memorial was designed to tie in with the 75th anniversary of the battle, remembering the squadrons who protected Weymouth and Portland’s former navy base.

After an agonising wait, Mr Rooker was informed towards the end of April that the issue had been considered by Weymouth and Portland Borough Council's asset management committee.

It was agreed at this meeting the Mayor of Weymouth and Portland would respond to Mr Rooker’s application.

Mr Rooker says he was informed on Wednesday by Cllr Kate Wheller that the bid had been unsuccessful.

The memorial had been designed to remember the eight squadrons who fought to protect the naval base. These include the 152 (Hyderabad) Squadron Spitfires, which were based in Warmwell, and the 609 (West Riding) Squadron Spitifres.

He told the Echo he now hopes to convince them to change their minds.

Mr Rooker said: "We are not going to give up on this now.

“There are too many people on the Facebook group who have helped out. The support has been growing.

“We are not asking for the money from the council. It was just that bit of land.”

Mr Rooker said that if there were any concerns about the designs for the stone, they could have been discussed at a later stage.

He said: “To be honest, I’ve never done anything like this.

“All I have thought about doing is getting the support and getting the proposal through. I thought I was doing it the right way.”

Discussing the decision, Cllr Kate Wheller said: “The asset management committee looked at the proposals and they considered them very carefully. It wasn't dismissed out of hand by any means at all.

“On balance it was felt it would be much better to commemorate the loss of life of the Battle of Britain at the War Memorial where all the loss of life is commemorated.”

After contacting the council to explain the decision further, Mr Rooker said he was informed the application’s refusal may have come after officers spoke to representatives from the Melcombe Regis and Weymouth East wards.

Cllr John Birtwistle, who represents Weymouth East, however, said he hadn't been contacted.

He said: "I wasn't asked. I'm in favour of having a suitable memorial. I've got absolutely nothing whatsoever against a proper memorial because I think it would be brilliant if we could have a memorial for these people."