New coach parking trial for 'choked' village

A temporary solution has been found to a lack of parking spaces for coaches bringing tourists into a picturesque but "choked" village.

Some residents had suggested banning coaches from Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds, but business owners argued this would cost them money.

A trial will begin in the spring to allow coach drivers to drop off and pick up visitors from Meadow Way, a 10-minute walk from the centre.

County councillor Paul Hodgkinson said he hoped the arrangement would stop coaches from parking in "all kinds of places that are quite unsafe".

Talks have been taking place for months to improve the situation in the Gloucestershire village.

In the six-month trial led by Gloucestershire Highways, coaches will not be allowed to enter the village but will be able to park at the Pulhams Coaches site between 09:00 and 16:00 after dropping passengers off at Meadow Way.

"They will drop off and pick up for a maximum of 10 minutes," Mr Hodgkinson said.

He said the trial would be monitored to address "concern at school times", and said he was "optimistic that it will work".

The plan is being welcomed by Adam Grime, from the Cotswold Motoring Museum.

"It's nice to have a resolution even if it's not necessarily the perfect resolution," he said.

"We've had groups cancelling due to the lack of coaches being able to park here in the village."

Donna Holland, owner of The Croft restaurant, said the scheme would only "dilute" the impact of parking issues on footfall.

"The centre of the village gets very choked, not just with coaches but cars as well," she said.

"I certainly don't want either of them to stop coming. They're a huge part of our village."

A Gloucestershire County Council spokesperson said it is hoped the new drop-off and pick-up bay will provide a "temporary solution" to alleviate congestion.

Council leader Stephen Davies added: "This is not an easy issue to resolve and though it looks like a highways issue, there are much wider economic issues that need to addressed and we are working with everyone concerned on a long-term solution."

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