Boat owners and allotment holders who were served eviction notices are celebrating a stay of execution after a U-turn by Oxford City Council.

Matt Morton is celebrating a council U-turn over boat owners' use of the Walton Well Road Allotments

A row erupted between those living on narrowboats moored on the River Thames off Walton Well Road in Jericho and the council, which centred on a future housing development.

The council says boat dwellers have no right of access to their boats across land at Lucy's ironworks designated for housing.

One boat dweller claimed the council was embarking on a policy of "cultural cleansing" by starting eviction proceedings. In March the council served notices on five boat owners giving them until this Sunday (May 1) to leave -- or face the prospect of being evicted.

But at a decision-making meeting this week, all 38 councillors present voted in favour of letting them stay.

Green city councillor Sushila Dhall tabled a motion urging councillors to back the boat dwellers' bid to stay.

She said: "The residents of the boats moored to the patch of land on the Walton Well Road site have caused no trouble whatsoever and their presence on the site does not interfere with Lucy's development proposals.

"Boat dwellers in central Oxford are currently under threat in other ways from developers and Oxford stands to lose a valuable part of its culture, character and history if this trend continues."

Boat owner John Keys, who works as a carpenter at the Castle Mill site, said: "We were genuinely under threat of eviction, presumably someone assumed we would all be illiterate boaties but we have all been bowled over by the positivity of councillors and are chuffed to bits with what has happened.

"I have got two teenage daughters who live with their mother and the only reason I am in Oxfordshire at all is because of them.

"I would not be able to live and work in central Oxford if I didn't own a boat -- in fact I would find it extremely difficult to go back to living in house."

The Walton Well Road boat dwellers will now apply for retrospective planning permission to be granted.

A city council spokesman said: "Councillors have asked for a paper about the planning and property issues, which will be taken to executive members."