Plans for a new coach and car park in Bibury, often dubbed England's prettiest village, have been scrapped due to "public opposition". Max Thomas, owner of the local trout farm, had submitted an application to Cotswold District Council for a new parking facility on the outskirts of the village.
He said last month that he hoped it could alleviate peak time congestion if approved.
The idyllic Cotswolds village, renowned for its iconic Arlington Row, has been grappling with over-tourism issues as it attracts thousands of global visitors daily. Coaches ferrying these masses may soon be prohibited from the village centre as part of measures to reduce congestion, following complaints from residents.
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Mr Thomas had devised his own separate plan which he hoped would benefit both his business and the village at large. However his proposal to establish the car park in a field off the B4425, at Arlington Pike, west of central Bibury, has now been withdrawn.
He had previously stated that the pay-as-you-use car park, costing £150,000 to construct and accommodating between 80 and 100 vehicles, would be a ten-minute walk or short shuttle drive from the village centre. This new facility would have supplemented the trout farm's existing 150-space car park.
The intention was to lease the space from a landowning farmer. However, it is understood that this offer has also been withdrawn.
Craig Chapman, the chairman of Bibury Parish Council, said that plans for the car park were withdrawn after the landowner rescinded their offer due to strong opposition from the village community.
He explained that the planning committee lacked sufficient information about the proposed car park's layout and would have rejected the application if it hadn't been withdrawn.
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Mr Chapman said: "That car park was not supported by the majority of people in the village at all.
"The main reason being, we already have enough people coming into the village and parking in the car park the Trout Farm has at the bottom."
Mr Chapman expressed concerns about the feasibility of an out-of-village car park accommodating 130 cars and ten coaches, potentially bringing at least 500 more people into the village.
He noted that Bibury is already teeming with tourists and a new car park on that site would "just compound the problems."
Mr Chapman added: "When I first moved here, I would have said an out of town car park was a great solution.
"Having lived here now for five years that is very misguided. It just creates an additional facility for people to come.
"We want to manage overtourism. Manage what we've got before opening additional car parks to encourage more traffic."