Cotswolds villagers blast ‘mad’ plan for ‘huge coach stop’ for tourists …

Cotswolds^[1] villagers are up in arms over “ludicrous” plans to replace parking bays on a narrow street with spaces for coaches to drop off and pick up around "250,000 tourists" each year.

The privately owned Hacklings’ car park in Station Road in Bourton-on-the-Water^[2] will no longer take coaches from December 31. And council leaders are scrambling to find a solution to allow tourists to continue to visit the village by coach.

But the most likely proposal they are considering has been blasted as “madness” by residents and some businesspeople. The plans include converting on-street parking in Station Road into drop-off and pick-up points for two coaches.

Did you see this story? Cotswolds residents face tax and garden waste costs rise next year as council plugs £3m funding gap^[3]

Want more local politics stories? Here are the latest on Gloucestershire politics^[4]

Donna Holland, who has lived in the village for 23 years, said she is well aware how gridlocked Bourton can become and believes this proposal will only exacerbate the problem. She says the plans would involve removing two coach lengths of parking bays near Three Wells House.

“I live on this road and the effect for me will be the queues of pedestrians and traffic. You won’t be able to get two-way traffic up and down Station Road once you’ve got two coaches parked on one side.

“At the moment the parking bays are on the road. Even if they tried to push it over into the pavement which is already quite narrow you could only possibly get two people wide on that.

“Those coach widths will still go into Station Road and it would be single lane traffic when they are sitting in those bays waiting to pick up or drop off.”

She said Cotswold District Council^[5] have known for two years that coaches will not be allowed on the site off Station Road. And questions why coach spaces were not considered by the authority at Rissington Road car park when they resurfaced and relined it last winter.

“They spent thousands and thousands of pounds resurfacing and relining Rissington Road car park over the winter. The council knew it was happening and had every opportunity to give up some coach space in that car park when they redid it.

“Most of the other villages have a council paid for coach drop-off point but they are refusing to support us. We are one of the busiest, if not the busiest village in the Cotswolds^[6].

“Where will the coaches go afterwards? Where will these big coaches turn around and then go and park for two or three hours while the visitors are in the village?'

“At the moment they just stop where they can. It’s just madness.

“We’ve just been told all of our objections and comments will be taken to the next meeting. Where is the risk assessment to be done to safely navigate these quarter of a million tourists that are going to be dropped off on the wrong side of the road?

“I support the fact that we need coaches to come to Bourton. It’s a difficult one because I understand everyone’s frustration. There just hasn’t been a solution but this is possibly one of the most ludicrous ideas so far."

Richard Gill, another resident, says the proposals will essentially create an "enormous bus stop" right in the middle of Bourton’s conservation area. He said around 60 people will be getting of the coaches each time on a very congested road.

“The residents here are absolutely up in arms about it. I really regard this as an act of complete vandalism.

“A coach park in the middle of a narrow street in the conservation area. We really want the authorities to reconsider this.”

But while these plans are currently considered to be the most likely solution they have not yet been finalised.

Gloucestershire County Councillor Paul Hodgkinson^[7] (LD, Bourton-on-the-Water and Northleach) confirmed it is one of the options highways are considering is to use the parking bays in Station Road

“They would be just for drop off and pick up points for coaches, not for them to stay there all day. It is an option but highways have to fully flesh it out, source the money and then it might go ahead.”

Gloucestershire County Council leader Mark Hawthorne^[8] (C, Quedgeley) said the authority is concerned about the impact that a loss of coach parking could have on both the Bourton-on-the-Water economy and the highways network.

“We want to encourage tourists to visit our county but they must be able to arrive and depart safely. We are supporting partners to develop a solution that works best for residents, businesses and visitors to the village.”

A Cotswold District Council^[9] spokesperson said they are working closely with a range of local stakeholders to provide coach parking solutions in the village.

“While there are plans being discussed they are not currently confirmed. We will be providing an update shortly.”

References

1. ^{^} Cotswolds (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Bourton-on-the-Water (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
3. ^{^} Cotswolds residents face tax and garden waste costs rise next year as council plugs £3m funding gap (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
4. ^{^} Here are the latest on Gloucestershire politics (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
5. ^{^} Cotswold District Council (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
6. ^{^} Cotswolds (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
7. ^{^} Paul Hodgkinson (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
8. ^{^} Mark Hawthorne (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
9. ^{^} Cotswold District Council (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)