Businesses worry coach ban could cost millions

Coaches are now parked on an industrial estate, following the closure of a designated coach park in the village

A business owner has claimed banning coaches from a Cotswold village could cost firms millions in lost revenue.

Andrew Lund-Yates, who owns Bourton-on-the-Water's model village and a nearby pub made the warning ahead of a meeting about the plan.

A coach park in the village closed in 2023. An alternative has been found in an industrial estate but the coaches need a drop-off and turning location.

Mr Lund-Yates said it was a "serious issue". Parish councillors are due to vote on a plan in April to ban coaches from the village centre.

"If we are looking purely from a business perspective, we are looking at £2m-£4m not coming into the economy," Mr Lund-Yates said.

"That will have a detrimental effect on businesses in the village centre."

On Wednesday, Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown is due to hold a private meeting with businesses and multiple councils to seek a solution.

Parish councillors have argued it is a safety issue because there is nowhere to  drop off passengers safely or turn around in the village.

Ban consultation

Pulhams & Sons Coaches said that more than 238,000 people visited the village by coach or large minibus in 2019.

Parish councillors will decide in April whether to use permanent or emergency traffic regulation orders - or a combination of both - 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, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

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.

Andrew Pulham said his family's business is "very important” to the village

Pulhams & Sons Coaches, which is based in the village, has provided services in and out of the Cotswolds since 1880.

Andrew Pulham, from the company, said “Bourton-on-the-Water has grown on coach tourism. It’s been a big part of my family’s business and continues to be."

He said the coaches bring lots of elderly tourists, people with disabilities and school children into the village.

“I think it would be extremely sad to see that demographic of people no longer allowed to visit," he added.

Mr Pulham is calling for a designated coach drop-off point in the village, or in a council-owned car park.

After dropping tourists off, the coaches could return to the industrial estate where parking is already provided, he said.

“I appreciate people say that there will always be tourists in the village, but I am concerned that if shops start to close on the High Street and some of the pubs start to restrict their hours, then the village that I grew up in won’t be as vibrant," added Mr Pulham.

"I want to see a vibrant village for my own children."