Coach ban in posh village 'would destroy business and create ghost town'

12 March 2024 , 12:16

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Andy Pulham, 54, of Pulham's Travel at Bourton-on-Water (Image: Anita Maric/SWNS)

A plan to ban tourist coaches in one of Britain's poshest villages would turn it into a "ghost town" and destroy businesses, locals say.

Officials in Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds are considering creating a ''no go'' area for buses carrying visitors. Parish councillors say they want to tackle ongoing issues including a lack of parking in one of the the area's most popular tourist destinations. Figures show in one year alone 238,000 people visited the village by coach or large minibus.

But local businesses say banning the buses will hit trade and fear a coach ban could turn the picture postcard village into a "ghost-town". Andrew Lund-Yates, 63, said his pub and hotel would lose 10 per cent of its revenue if the plans were to go through. Andrew bought the Old New Inn in 2018 and had planning to reinvest in the pub but there's "no way" he'd do so if coaches were banned.

He said: "The council is interested in getting tourists out of Bourton, which is frustrating for businesses that have built their business looking after tourists. Tourists are the highest spending visitor we have. My plan was built on coaches. 'Other businesses have limited options, the restrictions could mean the difference between them staying open and them closing.

Bourton Vale Parking Ltd car park that has permanently closed for coach parking (Anita Maric/SWNS)

"If the winter travel stops, smaller businesses might shut. We don't want to look like a seasonal seaside village. There is a lot of worry". Until last year, coaches were able to drop-off passengers at a car park just outside the town centre. But in December 2023 the arrangement between the council and the car park owner changed.

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Locals say the newly refurbished car park on the other side of the town centre could be a good drop-off spot but in February it was redone without any coach spaces. As a result, coach drivers have to use unofficial drop-off points across the town, frustrating residents who get held up when the big vehicles turn round.

Charles Watt, 67, owns a gift shop in the village and slammed the proposed plan as "ridiculous". He said: "The councillors should be sacked. We'll lose a certain amount of business. It's so thoughtless. They have done nothing to come up with a solution. They have not helped at all."

James Walker, 38, runs a cafe opposite the Christmas shop his wife runs. He said the parish's proposal would "definitely" affect his sales. On particular days, he said, nearly 70 per cent of sales are from tourists off the coaches. "If we prevent people from coming, footfall is going to suffer", he said. Usually, he expands his number of employees to 15 during the peak season.

James Walker, 38, owner of The Den at Bourton-on-Water (Anita Maric/SWNS)

But this year he said the uncertainty means he'll stick to the ten he's already got working for him. Andy Pulham, 54, runs a coach business in the town - Pulham & Son's Coaches has been based in the village since 1880. If the plans were to be enforced, coach drivers would not be able to pick up passengers from within the town centre.

He said: "Nobody would be able to come into the area. What's disappointing is that by banning coaches we are taking away the option from low income people, elderly people - of going out on trips. What we are saying is you can't enjoy Bourton...unless you have a car."

"Overseas visitors want to come here. Elderly people live for those trips. Everywhere else in the UK they welcome coaches because they see the benefit of them. 'There are other towns near us that are saying: 'you can come and visit us' [if you can't visit Bourton]. My great-great-grandfather started this company. We've always been welcome here. We sponsor the PE kit for the local school."

Gwen Homes, 81, and Joan Lidgbird, 84, travelled to Bourton by coach from Solihull for the day as part of an over-50s trip. They said they would not have booked if the tour meant walking half an hour from the coach stop into the village as could be the case if the parish's plans were to go through. Gwen said: "We have some people with us who cannot walk on foot. I wouldn't want to come on the trip."

Joan Lidgbird, 84, and Gwen Homes, 81, came to Bourton-on-Water on a coach (Anita Maric/SWNS)

Some residents however are unhappy with the disruption brought by visitors into the village. Noel McCaffery, 77, has lived in Bourton for 40 years. The retired stonemason complained that his driveway is often used by coaches trying to turn around after dropping tourists off in the town centre. He said: "Nobody can come in and nobody can go out. The buses block the junctions.

"Business owners are only thinking about themselves. They're not thinking of the local people who put up with all the hassle." Brian Smith, 81, also complained about the disruption but said the council's poor planning was to blame not the coach companies. The retired coach driver said: "The village cannot cope any longer [with the level of tourism]. The numbers are just too high.

A coach driving through Rissington Road, Bourton-on-Water (Anita Maric/SWNS)

"I can see coaches reversing in [to the cul-de-sac] to turn. My grievance is with the council who knew this was going to happen." The plan would use traffic regulation orders (TROs) to bar coaches' access to Bourton from the A429 into Lansdowne as well as the High Street and Station Road. The decision would require visitors to undergo a 30 minute walk from the drop-off point to get to the town centre.

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Any final decision would be subject to a full public consultation and would need to be implemented by highways authority Gloucestershire County Council, LDRS reported. Parish councillors will decide in April.

Rom Preston-Ellis