POLICE and the city council are considering whether a fleet of vehicles, including a military crane, parked in Wolvercote are antisocial.
They have written to residents listing seven actions they are taking to try to resolve the long-running feud over the vehicles in Upper Wolvercote.
They all belong to St Peter’s Road resident Nicholas Kravchenko, but locals claim they are antisocial as they are rarely used and many are broken beyond repair.
Mr Kravchenko is also the owner of the crane, which he drove into the street last month, but has defended his right to keep it there, despite protests about it being intimidating.
Oxford City Council and local bobbies vowed to examine different laws and powers to find a way to bring the dispute to an end.
Last night residents said peace could only be restored if the vehicles were removed.
Resident Paul Harvey said: “The local community is never going to accept that it is reasonable for one person to take up nine parking spaces with vehicles that are not used or broken beyond repair.
“The only resolution is that they are removed.”
A 36-year-old woman of Ulfgar Road said: “What I would like to see is peace being bought back to the village and a way we can mediate and talk to him and get this stuff moved off our streets. That’s all we want.”
The council removed Mr Kravchenko’s five trailers, a Ford Sierra, Land Rover and some scrap metal on September 1 last year after declaring them abandoned, but on February 1 Oxford County Court ordered them to be returned to him.
The Oxford Mail has seen a copy of the letter sent to local residents on February 24 entitled ‘antisocial behaviour in St Peter’s Road and Ulfgar Road, Wolvercote’.
Among the list of seven actions was to establish whether Mr Kravchenko’s vehicles and tank were antisocial.
The Highways Department said it would examine any damage that had allegedly been caused by the crane and police pledged to patrol the area.
The city council also said it would consider legislation on litter, refuse and noise in the Cleaner Neighbourhoods Act 2005, and the Town Country Planning Act, which details powers local authorities have to clean up land when its condition affects the quality of the area.
Last night, Mr Kravchenko, who drives the crane for his pleasure and displays it at shows and charity events, said the council and police had not contacted him about the dispute and defended his right to park the vehicles in the street.
He said he had no idea the letter had been sent to residents.
The former engineer said: “No one has consulted me on how to improve the situation and people are still being confrontational towards me.”
The council’s Neighbourhood Action Officer Monica Walton and North Oxford sergeant Lis Knight wrote: “I would like to assure you that Oxford City Council and the police are doing everything within their power to bring this case to a satisfactory conclusion and to restore the community atmosphere to this part of Wolvercote.”
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