RESIDENTS cheered and applauded as their town councillors vowed not to surrender their lease on a beloved park.

Tensions have run high in Didcot since Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire district council unveiled a draft masterplan for Didcot Garden Town, which included building a technology institute on Ladygrove Park.

But on Monday night Didcot Town Council unanimously stood by residents and told the district councils to keep their 'hands off' the green space.

Town council leader Bill Service said: "Whilst I understand the point made that only 17 per cent of the land at Ladygrove will be built on, that land will never come back.

"I think for me the garden town status is just a thinly veiled line to just put up 15,000 homes in and around Didcot.

"We have heard a lot about the district council's plans for the town and I have been accused of not having ambition for the town.

"But our ambition is on our terms, we should not be dictated to by a higher authority who think they can just come in and bulldoze Didcot and build more houses."

Ladygrove Park was leased to Didcot Town Council by South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) in 1997 for 99 years.

On Monday night the council unanimously approved a motion to refuse to relinquish it or allow for any reductions in its size.

Resident Simon Hewerdine, who has been the driving force behind the campaign and started a petition against the development which now has more than 1,700 signatures, said the evening had been a victory for the town.

He said after the meeting: "I am feeling elated that the concerns of Didcot were enough to move our town council to unanimously – a first time in a long time – vote together to keep the land.

"I would say tonight is a rebirth of democracy in Didcot.

"The council put Didcot first."

Speaking after the meeting, SODC leader John Cotton said he thought the town's reaction was over-the-top considering the plans currently on the table were just drafts.

He added: "I can understand the emotion attached to what has been suggested so far but we are not even at a consultation stage yet.

"I think there are still some misconceptions about what we are suggesting.

"Without ambition you will never achieve anything, we are trying to put up some ideas.

"Yes they are hugely ambitious but this is still a process that will involve consultation from all the interested parties."

Two public meetings are being held tonight, at 7.45pm, and tomorrow at 10am, for Ladygrove residents at Didcot Town Football Club to discuss the plans for Ladygrove Park.

Residents have until Friday to comment on the draft masterplan.

For more information visit: didcotgardentown.co.uk