Further discussions are taking place to establish whether there is “a long-term solution” to the seemingly everlasting problem of coach parking in Bourton-on-the-Water, Cotswold District Council (CDC) has said.
It comes after changes at the privately-owned Bourton Vale site to reduce coach parking capacity and introduce a pre-booking requirement – charged at £20 per two-hour slot – were announced in February ahead of its planned closure to coaches at the end of the year. CDC said similar in mid-2022 when it was indicated that Bourton Vale would cease accepting coaches at the end of that year, a decision that was subsequently reversed.
The local authority was responding to a question why coach provision was not included within ongoing redevelopment of the nearby Rissington Road car park. CDC was asked to do that, but no agreement could be reached, according to draft minutes of a Bourton-on-the-Water Parish Council meeting held on 9 January.
CDC has not provided coach spaces at Rissington Road for multiple reasons. Among those cited are it being an unsuitable location, the “significant cost” to taxpayers that doing so would invoke, and the loss of “what will be a high quality car park with more EV charging and disabled parking for the village,” says Cabinet Member for the Economy and Transformation Cllr Tony Dale.
Bourton Vale’s coach parking area has been subject to multiple previous threats of closure by the proprietors in recent years. All of those have been averted, but the latest – issued earlier in 2023 – states that provision will be removed permanently at the end of this year.
An individual familiar with tourism in Bourton-on-the-Water has suggested that coaches left idling for prolonged periods has led to a degree of ill-feeling among some residents. However, that person underlines that businesses in Bourton recognise the trade brought. Removal of coach provision at Bourton Vale will harm those undertakings, they add.
“I fear that coaches will stop coming, which will be to the detriment of businesses in Bourton that benefit from and appreciate coach parties frequenting the town, during the shoulder seasons in particular.”
