The number of visitors is “overwhelming” the picture-perfect village
Bourton-on-the-Water Parish Council is calling for an order that would restrict coach access(Image: John Keeble, Getty Images)
The “Venice of the Cotswolds” is now pushing for coaches to be barred from the village centre as fears mount over “Disneyfication” and excessive tourism. Roughly 100 residents of Bourton-on-the-Water raised their worries about overtourism during a November gathering before Shire Hall and District officials.
This week, the Parish Council backed a motion requesting an experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO) to limit coach entry into Station Road from the Fosseway, Rissington Road and the Steeps. The move represents a major development in Bourton’s continuing battle to tackle longstanding local anxieties regarding the effect of substantial coach traffic volumes on principal routes cutting through the village.
District Councillor Jon Wareing (LD, Bourton Village), who has championed the cause in recent years, urged parish councillors to back the proposal asking Gloucestershire County Council for the ETRO, reports Gloucestershire Live.
“This is not a new position,” he stated. “The Parish Council previously supported similar measures in 2024, reflecting sustained public concern about congestion, safety and quality of life impacts linked to unrestricted coach access through the village centre.”
He noted that circumstances have shifted, with greater clarity that enforcement is now feasible, including via Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology.
This development is viewed as eliminating one of the traditional obstacles to implementing traffic restrictions. Cllr Wareing stated that all parties must begin collaborating to identify a sustainable long-term solution akin to those implemented in destinations including Clovelly, St Ives, York, Bath, Oxford and Cambridge.
He emphasised that the decision ought to be viewed as an initial step towards addressing the broader systemic problem of the substantial volume of visitors descending on Bourton in vehicles annually.
“It’s not just coaches – it’s cars as well,” he said. “People often refer to Bourton as the Venice of the Cotswolds.
“Venice is widely seen as unsustainable because visitor numbers overwhelm a small, fragile historic city – pushing out residents, damaging heritage and infrastructure, and putting pressure on the environment, retail and public services.
“The same risks exist here. We could become Venice in the Cotswolds in terms of the impact on our heritage village.
“We need to reverse the ‘Disneyfication’ of Bourton and develop a regenerative approach, where tourism is managed deliberately to support local life rather than displace it.”
County Councillor Paul Hodgkinson (LD, Bourton-on-the-Water and Northleach) revealed he understands residents’ exasperation with certain coaches failing to utilise the designated drop-off and collection point on Meadow Way.
He confirmed that Shire Hall is currently assessing the effectiveness of the interim measure, which was devised to divert coach traffic away from the village centre.
“We are reviewing the effectiveness of that this week and will do so again in May. It’s really important that all coaches use the point legally,” he said.
“I am committed to making sure residents are safe and that coaches cause the minimum disruption, whilst helping local businesses to be successful.
“At the County Council we will definitely take this request seriously and I’ll be talking to council officers about how it could work.”