TOWN Hall planning officers have ordered campaigners to remove a poster protesting against a controversial plan to build on a busy car park.

A planning application to build 141 student flats on part of St Clement’s car park would see half the spaces lost.

Shops and restaurants in the area say losing the parking, near Magdalen Bridge, would cut off their “lifeblood”.

It is understood Oxford City Council is set to make £3.5m if the development goes ahead.

Although the plans were advertised in the newspaper and on two signs in the car park, traders said they were not directly consulted about the plans.

Restaurateur Clinton Pugh fixed a two-metre high poster to the wall of Finders Keepers estate agents on November 27 to make users of the car park aware of the plan.

Mr Pugh said he spent £170 on the ‘Save St Clement’s car park’ sign, which was put up with Finders Keepers’ permission.

However the management of Finders Keepers has received a letter from the council’s enforcement team stating the sign did not have “advertisement consent” or permission for attaching it to the Grade II listed building.

The letter asked for the advert to be removed within 48 hours or the owner of the property could be hit with up to a £20,000 fine and a six-month prison sentence for breaking the Listed Buildings Act.

Mr Pugh, who owns Café Coco in Cowley Road, said: “We put this up because we wanted to bring it to the attention of people who go to the car park because we think some still don’t know about it. This issue is so important for local people and they need to know about it.

“I’ve been there 19 years and I was told nothing about this plan directly by the council.

“It’s incredible they’re so quick to want to get it removed. It’s a temporary advert and will have done no damage to the building.”

In December, campaigners handed in a petition signed by 2,549 people who oppose the car park development.

Alan Grovesnor, the owner of the Sevenoaks Vision & Sound in St Clement’s, said: “They’ve said there is no listed building consent for the poster but they’re happy to put up a six-storey building in a conservation area which is going to damage the views of two listed buildings.

“It’s an absolute disgrace they’re are thinking of building on top of the car park and cutting off the lifeblood of a lot of businesses.”

No-one at Finders Keepers was available for comment.

City Council spokesman Louisa Dean said: “A planning application was submitted for this site and the public were able to comment on it during the consultation period.

“The site was allocated for student accommodation and replacement car parking in our adopted local plan in November 2005.

“The Local Plan was consulted on in draft form on a number of occasions.

“There was also a public inquiry held over the Local Plan and further consultation was carried out after receiving the inspector’s report before full council adopted the plan in 2005.”