A PLAN which would have allowed more people to park on a busy Oxford street – raising fears about a swathe of legal challenges – has been turned down.

The owners of Wingfield House in Gathorne Road, Headington had asked Oxfordshire County Council for permission to grant parking permits for the residents who live in its six flats.

The development was given planning permission in 2007 on the condition it was car-free, but recently a county council officer recommended permits be handed out.

Opponents criticised the scope of a council report and said a lack of parking for people living on Gathorne Road and surrounding areas during evenings and mornings had been omitted.

The authority’s environment boss, councillor Yvonne Constance, said she worried owners of new car-free developments would try to secure permits in the future.

When she turned down the plan on Thursday and told people she was 'worried' that approving it would 'set a precedent', residents shouted ‘thank you’ and applauded her.

A total of 36 people living in Gathorne Road and St Anne's Road and members of the St Anne's, Gathorne Road and Margaret Road Residents' Association, cyclists' group Cyclox and the Windmill Road Residents' Action Group all submitted statements opposing the proposals.

Headington county councillor Roz Smith had urged Mrs Constance to refuse to allow new permits.

She said: “This would open up the floodgates.

"The original developer said he was happy to have it car-free.

"I would like you to be strong enough to refuse to allow parking permits for Wingfield House."

Councillor John Sanders, who represents Cowley, said his ward would face being flooded with cars if Wingfield House’s bid was given the go ahead.

He said he worried developers would look to retrospectively get permission for residents' permits.

He said: “In Cowley there are more than 1,000 car-free units which are to be developed in the next two years.

"That includes about 850 students.”

Resident Frank Murray said the area is already ‘saturated’ with cars and that giving permission for the development would only mean fewer spaces for everyone living there.

Oxford city councillor Mohammed Altaf-Khan said the only positive things that would have come out from the development would be for Wingfield House’s owners.

They would be able to give their residents permits and then increase the rent they charge, he said.

It is understood the original owner of the building has sold it on since it was built and that its current owner, who argued 'evidentially no harm would be caused' by the proposal, is planning to appeal the council's decision.

The Wingfield House development began after planning permission was granted in 2007 to convert a building to make six flats.

Gathorne Road’s controlled parking zone (CPZ) was first set up in 2000.