'Theme park' fears amid farm's expansion

Residents say the roads are too narrow to cope with significant expansion

Plans for a new visitor arts and activities centre in “one of the prettiest villages in Britain” have been approved despite local opposition.

Concerns were raised by residents the proposals could turn Bibury Trout Farm in the Cotswolds into a “full-blown theme park” with “music, gin and beer parties”.

Residents claimed they "only get to enjoy their village" outside of the farm's opening hours.

Leaders of Bibury Parish Council said the farm's "high volumes of tourists is causing irreversible damage to the character and appearance of the historic village".

A new visitor centre is being built

Council officers had recommended approving the plans and Cotswold District Council's planning committee approved the application by seven votes to one against.

Under the proposals, a new visitor arts, activities and education area will be built. Existing fish raceways will also be remodelled to form a new lake with a central island.

Villagers were "alarmed" by a notice on the trout farm’s website that states it has teamed up with Cotswold Lakes Brewery and Siblings Gin to hold summer parties with music, local beers and gin.

Michelle Holt, of Bibury Parish Council, spoke against the proposals.

“The parish council has serious concerns over the trout farm being fundamentally changed from a working farm with a tourist element to a full-blown theme park," she said.

'Huge tourist attraction'

Councillor David Fowles said he believed Bibury was "the biggest tourist attraction in the Cotswolds after Bourton, Stow and Cirencester".

He said: “But with one essential difference, it is a small residential Cotswold village with tiny lanes and predominantly housing with no retail other than a coffee shop, a pub and a hotel.

“This is a huge tourist attraction in the middle of a tiny village. The villagers get the village back at about 5:30pm and they can then live there and work there and enjoy the weekends and the evenings and so on.”

District councillor Dilys Neill said she understood the concerns of residents given the small village was already a “honeypot for tourists”.

“But I don’t think we can address that in this forum,” she said.