A legal battle to decide whether an intrusive Streatham Hill train depot should be ripped down is to begin next week.

A planning inquiry to decide if operator Southern Rail acted legally when it built a 300m maintenance depot directly behind scores of homes in Sternhold Avenue is set to begin on March 22.

Residents, including Masterchef presenter John Torode, said lights as strong as football floodlights shone directly into their homes from the “ugly and intrusive” structure, built in 2005 without planning permission.

They also complained of a stench from sewage pumped from the depot, describing it as “unbearable and a health risk”.

Last April, Lambeth Council decided the depot was built unlawfully and served an enforcement notice on the rail provider asking it to take parts of the structure down.

Southern has always claimed the depot benefits the national railway and therefore was a “permitted development” that did not require planning permission from the local authority.

The Planning Inspectorate will now decide the depot’s fate.

The week-long public hearing is to be held in the town hall’s council chamber with a decision expected in April.

The council - that has a £1m war chest to fight the legal battle - has appointed a planning barrister and will be calling expert independent planning, noise, light and railway witnesses.

The inspector will also visit the site during the day and at night to judge the effect of the light pollution from seven, 5m lighting columns containing more than 300 bulbs.

Diana Morris, vice-chair of the council's planning application committee, said: "We have tried to negotiate with Southern Rail on the residents’ behalf, to ensure it makes some meaningful improvements to lessen this impact - but it has failed to do so.

“We have listened to residents concerns and stand shoulder to shoulder with them, and we continue to support and represent their opposition to this development.

"I am hopeful that this planning inquiry will force Southern Rail - once and for all - to take the necessary measures to enable local residents again to enjoy a decent quality of life".