A decision on plans to ban coaches over 12m in length from accessing parking in Burford has been deferred by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) after a strong objection from the coach industry and other stakeholders.
It was one of several traffic management proposals in Burford that were recommended for approval by OCC Cabinet Member for Transport Planning Andrew Gant at a meeting on 27 February.
Most of the others have been approved, but deferral of the decision around access to Priory Lane in Burford – which is where coach parking bays are located – means that all coaches can continue to reach those spaces. There is no date for when the decision has been deferred to.
Support for the length restriction on Priory Lane was stronger than objections among public consultation submissions, according to a summary of responses. However, of statutory consultees and key stakeholders, Thames Valley Police objected, noting that no alternatives are in hand.
In its response, Burford Town Council – which supports the proposal – accepts the Police’s position but underlines that difficulties in Bourton-on-the-Water have caused increased coach traffic in Burford and that issues with illegal parking of those vehicles now exist.
Trade bodies representing coach objected strongly to the length restriction. The meeting papers add that 18 travel and hospitality providers sent emails of protest across the wider proposals, while coach operators from as far away as Shetland emailed disapproval.
As a statutory consultee, Pulhams Coaches submitted a detailed rebuttal of the planned restriction, with the efforts of Managing Director Luke Marion in that regard having been lauded by Confederation of Passenger Transport UK Coach Manager Phil Smith.
It includes the highlighting of “a concerning trend in the Cotswold area” of anti-coach plans and notes that “many parallels” can be drawn between the proposals in Burford and what earlier occurred in Bourton.
A lack of advance engagement with operators also draws criticism and the Pulhams position includes reference to a lack of alternatives and harm to the village economy, which is closely aligned with tourism.
In a rebuke, the submission adds how use of allegations of damage to cars parked on-street by coaches as justification for the Priory Lane restriction is dubious. “I had to read this passage several times before I could believe what I was actually reading,” Mr Marion notes.
