Plans for a new café in a Cotswolds village put on hold amid traffic and safety concerns
There have been more than 100 objections to the plans for Bibury Trout Farm
People who live in “England’s prettiest village” have been left “bemused” by a council decision on plans they fear will worsen the frequent gridlock in the tourist hotspot.
Bibury, with its Arlington Row of weaver’s cottages, was made famous by textile designer and writer William Morris who described it as “the most beautiful village in England” in the 19th century.
But this fame contributed to the picturesque Cotswold village struggling with overtourism in recent years with motorists and coaches often causing traffic chaos in the picturesque .
And now villagers fear things could be made worse if plans for a new cafe at Bibury Trout Farm, which is already very popular with tourists, are approved.
Cotswold District Council considered plans this week to convert the ground floor of existing barns from general storage to a cafe with a shopping area.
The scheme includes changes to the lean-to and decking area as well as alterations at the Shoecroft Barn in Ablington Lane.
Consultants working on behalf of Bibury Trout Farm say the plans are sympathetic to wider context of the setting of the original heritage of the barn and outbuildings and would “bring the buildings fully back into use”.
However, the proposal has proved to be hugely controversial with more than 100 objections amid fears it will put even more pressure on the village which is “already under severe pressure” from tourists.
And examples of “dangerous” traffic situations on the Ablington Lane during the early May bank holiday in 2025 was submitted as part of a report to planners by Bibury Parish Council.
The report said the sheer volume of pedestrians walking along the lane to and from the trout farm car parks during was “staggering and blatantly unsafe” as there is no access from the car parks to the village.
Parish council chairman Craig Chapman, echoed these concerns at the planning committee meeting on May 13, and said they strongly object over highway safety.
He said a group called Bibury One had been set up to find solutions to the highways and parking problems the village faces a consequence of overtourism.
Cllr Chapman said Ablington Lane is a narrow rural lane used by residents, farmers and emergency vehicles and is not designed to absorb more commercial traffic.
“It has no proper pedestrian provision along key sections. It is already under sever pressure from existing trout farm visitors and wider tourism,” he said.
“The parish council has already stated that the lane is frequently gridlocked, that verges are being eroded, and there is constant conflict between traffic and pedestrians.
“We have often highlighted that the trout farm car parks are often full, to overflowing, causing frustration, obstruction and danger for residents and visitors.”
He said a separate cafe will probably become a destination in its own right.
Cllr Chapman added that the highways authority is strongly recommending refusal for safety reasons.
“Bibury is already struggling under the traffic consequences of tourism. Please give proper weight to objections of the highway authority and the parish council.
“Please also consider if this application is permitted, this will completely undermine the work of Bibury One by worsening the situation in this part of the village before overall parking and highway solutions are identified and implemented.”
The timing could not be worse, he concluded.
Bibury resident Michelle Holt told the meeting the plans constituted “another step in the commercial expansion of one business with the cost falling on one small village”.
She said there was no evidence that Bibury needs another cafe, that residents would benefit or the village can absorb further visitor pressure.
She said rural business matters but planning policy does not say economic trumps everything else.
“Growth that damages residents’ daily lives, highway safety, landscape and the environment is not sustainable growth,” she said.
“That is the flaw at the heart of this recommendation.”
Councillor David Fowles (C, Coln Valley), who represents the village at Cotswold District Council, also spoke against the plans.
He said he shared the strong concerns raised by highways officers.
“Here they are wanting to make another application for another cafe,” he said.
“There are also several other venues in the village including a newly opened cafe called Number 11.
“All wonderful, and if you get the chance to go to Bibury on a quiet day, I urge you to go and try some of those.
“But on a day when there aren’t any tourists, if you can find one.”
He said the road is frequently “gridlocked” and during the site visit they saw a coach reversing down the lane.
“You would have thought we’d organise that but we didn’t,” he said. “That was just what happens every day in Bibury.
“There are coaches, cars, agricultural vehicles, trade vehicles, cyclists all jostling to get up this lane.
“It is an accident waiting to happen.”
During the debate, several councillors raised concerns over road safety.
And chairman Dilys Neill (LD, Stow) said “We all narrowly avoided being run over, it sounds like.”
The committee proceeded to vote against granting planning permission. But rather a vote to reject the scheme, councillors voted to defer the plans.
Councillor Paul Evans (LD, The Beeches) said the highway authority’s objections seemed quite light and asked if there is any data to back up their concerns regarding the potential for the cafe to become a destination.
“Has that been quantified at all? Is there any data from the applicant or any other source which forecasts what cafe traffic might be and therefore what increased traffic volume there might be?”
Officers said the answer was no and confirmed there hasn’t been a formal traffic impact assessment as part of the application.
Cllr Julia Judd (C, Ermin) said if highways had formed an objection there was no need for further evidence.
“We had the evidence on our site visit – I mean, nearly getting run over by a lorry at 11 o’clock in the morning on a Wednesday,” she said.
“Not in the holidays. This is a quiet time of the year.
“Cleary there isn’t enough provision for parking. The bottom car park was already full and the car park we weren’t meant to be using was also full by the time we left a 11 o’clock.”
Cllr Evans said the challenge he had in deciding the application was the lack of evidence.
And Cllr Juliet Layton (LD, South Cerney Village) asked if there was merit in deferring the scheme for further evidence from highways and an air quality assessment.
Officers said it was up to councillors. Cllr Michael Vann (LD, Fairford North) then proposed approving the scheme in line with the officer’s recommendation and this was seconded by Cllr Patrick Coleman (LD, Stratton).
That motion failed by four votes against ot three in favour with one abstention.
A subsequent proposal by Cllr Coleman to defer to get more information from highways to understand their recommendation and this was seconded by Cllr Judd. The deferral was approved unanimously.
However, speaking after the meeting, Cllr Chapman told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that villagers opposed to the plans were “bemused” over the decision.
“We don’t understand the decision,” he said. “There seemed to be general agreement about the issue of safety.
“So how on earth is another look at this application going to resolve that?
“If the application is granted, it can’t improve the situation. It can only make it worse.
“It was a very strange turnaround. The village is bemused.”
Councillors will consider the scheme again at a future planning committee meeting.