Thousands of concerned traders and shoppers have forced the council chamber to debate free parking.

James Bond, an Independent councillor for the Headstone North ward, will represent 3,352 of his constituents in North Harrow at a full council meeting on Thursday who are fearful that as of Monday, the free parking area in Cambridge Road, North Harrow, that was initiated in the area to rejuvenate it could be take away.

Mr Bond told the Observer ahead of the meeting: "I represent the traders and residents when I say that the modest progress we have made in North Harrow will be demolished if we lose it and the area could go into decline."

The Independent councillor has written to the Conservative leader of Harrow Council Susan Hall, urging her to take steps to adopt the discounted model of parking currently used in Hillingdon via the HillingdonFirst Card, where preferential rates are given to particular areas.

Mr Bond campaigned to keep the free parking in the Cambridge Road car park, urging: 'You can't afford to lose it', and gathered 3,352 signatures, triggering a rule in the council's constitution that if a petition receives over 3,000 signatures it must be discussed by the chamber at a full council meeting.

Potentially, the house could vote to stall ending free parking in North Harrow and refer the decision back to Harrow Council's cabinet.

Across the borough, parking is a key concern, with hopes that a 20-minute free parking scheme trialled in Rayners Lane could be rolled out across Harrow also in the balance after being dashed by the Conservative administration last month.

The decision however has been referred back to cabinet after a call-in committee ruled that the decision to scrap free parking had been taken without adequate consultation.

Leader of Independent Labour, Councillor Thaya Idaikkadar, said: "It is clear from the comments made by the members of the public and the traders of Rayners Lane in particular do not understand the decision taken by the Tory cabinet."

Ms Hall told the Observer that her administration are not against free parking, but that they feel the scheme based on the Rayners Lane trial was hastily introduced, difficult to manage and could cost the borough an annual £1million loss.

Reporter John Shammas will be tweeting from the meeting on Thursday night, which you can follow live via @johnpaulshammas from 7.30pm.