A “no-go zone” for coaches could be created in one of the Cotswolds’ most popular tourist destinations as parish councillors voted on plans to tackle the “ongoing nightmare” caused by lack of parking.

More than 40 Bourton-on-the-Water residents packed the George Moore Community Centre last night (March 6) as a move to consider restricting the access of touring coaches from the village was debated.

The proposed restrictions would not include public service buses such as school, sports and social clubs transport.

But if approved, coaches would not be allowed to access Bourton from the A429 Fosseway into Lansdowne and High Street as well as into Station Road.

There could also be a ban on coaches approaching the village from Rissington Road and from Kingfisher Road to Meadow Way roundabout, down Meadow Way/Bourton Link past Cotswold Clubhouse, Colletts buildout, and to the junction with Station Road at Jubilee Lodge.

From the southwest, the restriction could be introduced from Lankett Lane junction with the “Steeps” (Bourton Hill). This would not affect the existing access from A429 Whiteshoots Hill towards Sherborne and Clapton-on-the-Hill.

Parish councillors stress they are not “anti-coaches” but that it needs to be done in the interests of the health and safety of residents and visitors, and to improve traffic flow in the absence of any safe coach parking.

Villagers complain it has become a “free for all” since December 31 when the privately owned Hacklings’ car park in Station Road ceased taking coaches.

The lack of parking for coaches has already made it a nightmare with coach drivers blocking the Old Co-op site, dropping people off and then backing into residential streets to turn around.

And the meeting heard that earlier this week a coach hit one of the pumps at the petrol station.

The village used to get around 3,000 coaches a year and last year 160,000 tourists visited the village by coach.

Several business owners and workers who fear for their livelihoods spoke up against the plans at the Bourton-on-the-Water meeting.

John Kerslake, the co-owner of Fresh For Lunch in High Street, was among those who spoke at the meeting.

He said the village has been an incredibly popular destination for decades.

Mr Kerslake said the issue around coach parking has been known about for many months.

“The solution to quickly ban all coaches, not just the village centre, but in effect to create a ‘no-go’ zone around the village is especially difficult to understand when the alternatives appear to have not been properly explored.

“Welcome to Bourton-on-the-Water, but only if you can come in a car and have loads of money.

“Please don’t come if you are visiting from overseas on a coach tour. Please don’t come if you’re a pensioner on a coach trip visiting for an affordable day out.

“Please don’t come if you’d like to enjoy this amazing village that those lucky enough to live here enjoy every day.”

He called on parish councillors to commit to work with Cotswold District council to find a workable solution.

Anna Walker, a resident, raised concerns over the danger posed by the lack of parking.

She said it is only a matter of time before driver frustration would lead to an incident.

“In light of the dangerous occurrence that happened at the petrol station yesterday, where a coach attempted to drive through but miscalculated and knocked over a petrol pump I think the council should consider a total ban on coaches until a solution is found.

“You should bravely take the step before another potentially more catastrophic incident happens to stop coaches until we find a solution.”

Andy Pulham, owner of Pulhams & Sons Coaches, called for some parish councillors to be removed from being party to any discussions on the issue due to their perceived bias against coaches.

He said a total of 238,750 people visited the village by coach or large minibus in 2019.

“That represents 25 per cent of the footfall,” he said. “Could a business survive if it loses that amount of footfall?

Mr Pulham said he felt all the options for coach parking or drop-off parking have not been exhausted and the business community has offered £15,000 for a solution at the industrial estate.

His wife Kathryn Pulham said most councillors did not have the expertise to make a judgement on the issue.

She said: “What PR catastrophe are you creating when you’re suggesting banning coaches from a village whose main employer is indeed a coach company?

“We have contributed to this community as Pulhams Coaches and others around for many years in ways most people would not imagine.

“If every village treated us in the way you are treating us we wouldn’t be in business and would not be able to contribute in the way we have.”

Councillors Jon Wareing, Len Wilkins, Amanda Davis and Lynda Hicks proposed tasking the highways committee to consider the best way forward for the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) given the urgency of the situation.

They say the required signage and yellow lining would be aimed at reducing volumes of visitor parking on residential streets, and long-desired improvements to the bus stop area outside the public conveniences next to the Cook Shop on the High Street.

Parish councillors will decide in April whether to use permanent or emergency TROs, or a combination of both, given the urgency of the need to manage coach movements.

Any final decision would be subject to a full public consultation and would need to be implemented by highways authority Gloucestershire County Council.

The parish council will also invite County Councillor Paul Hodgkinson (LD, Bourton-on-the-Water and Northleach) and a highways representative to expedite progress.

Councillor Jon Wareing said the parish council has been listening to what businesses have had to say for two years.

“It’s not that businesses are being ignored,” he said. “The issue is how do we look after the interests of the whole community.

“The priority is for residents, businesses and visitors to go about their business without risk to personal safety or unacceptable and unnecessary delays to get around the village.

“We are faced with an issue where there is no agreed managed solution to the provision of coach parking for pick up and drop off.

“Somebody didn’t have the foresight when they designed the road layout of Bourton to provide wide avenues and generous bends at the Post Office corner in Station Road.

“We’ve got the infrastructure we’ve got and we’ve got nowhere to put coaches.

“This isn’t about being anti-business, anti-coach, absolutely far from it, it’s about safety for people.

“I passed the school bus stop at school exiting time where a coach was there for more than 20 minutes and there were cars, Pulhams coaches and buses trying to get around, including kids.

“The concern of most residents I’ve spoken to is safety. It’s not something any of us want to do with delight in our heart.

“It’s about making a really tough decision that puts the safety of people first.”

The parish council voted in favour of the resolution by six votes in favour, two against and one abstention.

Earlier this week, MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown raised concerns over the parish council’s proposals.

He expressed deep reservations regarding the potential ramifications of banning coaches from the picturesque village.

Sir Geoffrey has planned a meeting for March 27 to foster collaboration and explore viable solutions with officials from Gloucestershire County Council, Cotswold District Council, parish council representatives, and councillors.

The meeting aims to facilitate constructive dialogue and chart a path forward that balances various interests while safeguarding the village’s future.

“As soon as I was alerted to the proposal to introduce a Traffic Regulation Order to ban coaches from the centre of Bourton village, I realised the potential damage this could do,” Sir Geoffrey said.

“Businesses in the village are already under severe economic pressures and this proposal is bound to lead to closures affecting the high street and the subsequent loss of jobs.

“Consideration also needs to be given to the potential environmental effects of more cars and the overall threat to the vitality and vibrancy of the village.

“I have vowed to work with all interested parties to find a workable solution. I have proposed a high-level meeting to try to achieve this, it is already clear that some coaches will divert from Bourton this summer due to a lack of parking.”