RESIDENTS in North Oxford fought back against plans by a new garage which would have disturbed their peace and quiet on Sundays.

Kwik-Fit has planning permission to take over the former North Oxford Garage building at 280 Banbury Road, and hopes to open in September.

But when the business applied for additional permission to open between 10am and 4pm on Sundays, residents in neighbouring Mayfield Road and the congregation of the United Reformed Church protested.

Councillors at the city council's north area committee listened to their concerns and agreed that tyre-fitting on Sundays was not acceptable.

Liberal Democrat city councillor Jean Fooks said: "Residents and members of the congregation at the church quite understandably did not want their Sundays disturbed by the garage.

"We felt if people had a desperate need to get their tyres done they could elsewhere."

The Rev Pauline Main, of Summertown United Reformed Church, said: "Local residents, the church and Summer Fields School were all concerned about Kwik-Fit operating the business on Sunday.

"This is a residential area and people were concerned about an increase in traffic levels and an increase in noise levels on Sunday.

"No-one has a problem with Kwik-Fit running a business here and no-one really objected to the original planning application.

"But they were opposed to the application to vary the terms of the planning permission to allow working on Sunday.

"We have three congregations that meet here on Sunday and we were concerned that the services could be disturbed by the garage."

Environmental health officers advised councillors that stringent limits to noise levels on Sunday would mean there would only be background noise, which would be inaudible inside neighbouring properties, including homes, the school and the church.

But councillors decided the garage should not be allowed to operate at all on Sundays.

Councillors also agreed a variation of the planning permission to restrict noise levels from Monday to Saturday.

A spokesman for Kwik-Fit said the new garage in Summertown was expected to open in September but could not comment further.

The business will be used as a tyre, exhaust, brake, battery and MOT testing station.