Coach ban in tourist village 'the start of action'

Residents in a picturesque village fear "an extra 800 visitors every hour" if plans for a new car and coach park are considered.

Bibury, once described by the artist William Morris as "the most beautiful village in England" has long been a popular destination for tourists visiting the Cotswolds.

Following residents' concerns, Gloucestershire County Council has announced that within the next two months restrictions on coaches parking in the centre of the village would come into force.

Meanwhile, a new parking site on the edge of the village has been proposed by a local business owner - a plan which has been described by local residents as "counter-productive".

"I don't mind people looking at my property," said villager, Wendy Hazelwood.

"It's when they go through my gates and stare in the windows - they don't consider people's privacy.

"This (the proposed new parking site) is totally counter-productive to what we want to achieve in the village because it will bring approximately 800 tourists, maybe, every hour extra into the village.

"We're trying to reduce the tourism, not increase it," she added.

The new parking site being proposed would have space for 100 cars and 12 coaches with a shuttle bus into the village.

Maxwell Thomas, owner of Bibury Trout Farm, who has put in a planning application, said visitors were inevitable and efforts should be put towards welcoming them.

"People have been coming to this village for hundreds of years and businesses have been here for hundreds of years.

"It's in the 10 prettiest villages in the world and you expect to have people visiting all the time, you can't help it," he said.

A working group made up of Gloucestershire County Council, Cotswold District Council, the police and Bibury Parish Council, recently made some recommendations to restrict access for coaches.

As a result, Gloucestershire County Council Highways would be changing the layout of parking bays to stop coaches waiting on the B4425 next to the Swan Bridge in the centre of the village.

Although a short-term solution, Cllr Craig Chapman, chairman of Bibury Parish Council said it was a necessary measure.

"Whilst this is the start of action, it is very positive.

"We are not a suitable destination for coaches, as there isn't adequate parking.

"We carried out a safety survey on these bays; they're too short and they're in exactly the wrong place by a bridge, which is single track.

"To manoeuvre into the bays, blocks the whole road," he said.

In the long term, the group had recommended a series of further measures, including looking at "potential areas outside the village for coach parking".

Residents would have the opportunity to comment on the proposals during a public consultation starting in the summer.

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