A bitter row between a village club and the local store is to be argued before a judge in the High Court.

Kelvedon Labour Club and the Colchester and East Essex Co-operative Society have been locked in a fierce dispute over the use of a car park since last year.

The club wants to charge a fair market price to allow customers shopping at the next-door Co-op store to park on their land which they had allowed free use of for nearly 20 years.

The funds would go towards funding an extension to their function room.

The Co-op refuses to pay and insists it has the right to continue to use the car park free.

It says the store, the biggest in the village, could close and 21 people lose their jobs if customers could not park conveniently.

Now a judge will be asked to settle the argument.

The society said it was dismayed and disappointed by the club's actions.

"This is a very busy car park and is essential to our store, which has been there for 100 years and is the main food store in the village," said the Co-op in a statement.

"We will defend our employees' jobs at any cost."

Club secretary Colin Bugg said they were allowing the Co-op customers to continue to use the car park while the dispute rolled on.

"They cannot win," he said. "If the judge rules for them, we shall simply open the car park to everyone, and there will be no room for the store's customers.

"The whole thing is absurd. The Co-op, which made a £2m profit last year, is spending many thousands of pounds in legal fees to take this to court when all they need to do is pay a fair market rent."

Published Thursday, April 24, 2003

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