diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/config/LdapNamespaceHandler.java b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/config/LdapNamespaceHandler.java
index c215c3f4..3ad1addf 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/config/LdapNamespaceHandler.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/springframework/ldap/config/LdapNamespaceHandler.java
@@ -19,19 +19,26 @@ package org.springframework.ldap.config;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.NamespaceHandlerSupport;
 import org.springframework.data.repository.config.RepositoryBeanDefinitionParser;
 import org.springframework.ldap.repository.config.LdapRepositoryConfigurationExtension;
+import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
 
 /**
  * @author Mattias Hellborg Arthursson
+ * @author Rob Winch
  */
 public class LdapNamespaceHandler extends NamespaceHandlerSupport {
+    static final String REPOSITORY_CLASS_NAME = "org.springframework.data.repository.config.RepositoryConfigurationExtension";
+
     @Override
     public void init() {
         LdapRepositoryConfigurationExtension extension = new LdapRepositoryConfigurationExtension();
-        RepositoryBeanDefinitionParser repositoryParser = new RepositoryBeanDefinitionParser(extension);
 
         registerBeanDefinitionParser(Elements.CONTEXT_SOURCE, new ContextSourceParser());
         registerBeanDefinitionParser(Elements.LDAP_TEMPLATE, new LdapTemplateParser());
         registerBeanDefinitionParser(Elements.TRANSACTION_MANAGER, new TransactionManagerParser());
-        registerBeanDefinitionParser(Elements.REPOSITORIES, repositoryParser);
+
+        if (ClassUtils.isPresent(REPOSITORY_CLASS_NAME, getClass().getClassLoader())) {
+            RepositoryBeanDefinitionParser repositoryParser = new RepositoryBeanDefinitionParser(extension);
+            registerBeanDefinitionParser(Elements.REPOSITORIES, repositoryParser);
+        }
     }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/springframework/ldap/config/LdapNamespaceHandlerTests.java b/core/src/test/java/org/springframework/ldap/config/LdapNamespaceHandlerTests.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..32c4e99a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/springframework/ldap/config/LdapNamespaceHandlerTests.java
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright 2002-2015 the original author or authors.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.springframework.ldap.config;
+
+import static org.junit.Assert.*;
+import static org.mockito.Matchers.any;
+import static org.mockito.Matchers.eq;
+import static org.powermock.api.mockito.PowerMockito.spy;
+import static org.powermock.api.mockito.PowerMockito.when;
+
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import org.junit.Test;
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
+import org.powermock.core.classloader.annotations.PrepareForTest;
+import org.powermock.modules.junit4.PowerMockRunner;
+import org.powermock.reflect.internal.WhiteboxImpl;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.BeanDefinitionParser;
+import org.springframework.util.ClassUtils;
+
+/**
+ *
+ * @author Rob Winch
+ *
+ */
+@RunWith(PowerMockRunner.class)
+@PrepareForTest({ ClassUtils.class })
+public class LdapNamespaceHandlerTests {
+
+    // LDAP-335
+    @Test
+    public void repositoryClassNotLoadedIfNotOnClasspath() throws Exception {
+        spy(ClassUtils.class);
+        when(ClassUtils.class, "isPresent",
+                eq(LdapNamespaceHandler.REPOSITORY_CLASS_NAME), any(ClassLoader.class))
+            .thenReturn(false);
+
+        LdapNamespaceHandler handler = new LdapNamespaceHandler();
+
+        handler.init();
+
+        Map<String, BeanDefinitionParser> parsers = WhiteboxImpl.getInternalState(handler, "parsers");
+        assertFalse(parsers.containsKey(Elements.REPOSITORIES));
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file