THE owners of the Kidlington Centre have blocked a council bid to make shoppers pay to use the village’s main car park.

Cherwell District Council wanted to raise £184,000 a year by overturning a decades-old covenant guaranteeing free parking in Watts Way, prompting the fury of traders and shoppers.

Eight hundred people signed a petition against the proposal, organised by the village’s Liberal Democrat councillors.

And now holding company Eames, which owns the Kidlington Centre and has control of the covenant, has blocked the move.

Cherwell District Council spokesman Craig Forsyth said: “Following discussions with the council it has decided not to lift (the covenant) which would have allowed for introduction of parking charges.

“For this reason the council will carry out no further work on the proposal at this time.”

Kim Martin, manager of the Kidlington Centre, said: “Eames felt it was more bene-ficial to the community for parking to be free.”

Councillor Tim Emptage, who organised the petition, said: “This is very good news, and exactly what we have been fighting for all these months.

“I’m glad the council has seen sense, and is not now going to waste a lot of council taxpayers’ money trying to get the covenant overturned.

“For more than 800 people to have signed a petition in a place the size of Kidlington showed the strength of feeling, and I am certain that must have played a part in the decision.”

He said villagers must remain vigilant of attempts to resurrect the plan.

The council had hoped to net £46,886 a year in short stay and £111,193 in long stay charges, plus £25,878 from parking fines.