With its picturesque stone buildings, slow-moving river and welcoming pub, the charming village of Bibury is well known as The Capital of the Cotswolds.
It is the home to just 700 people and artist William Morris described it as the “most beautiful village in England”.
But the village, most famous for its row of 17th Century cottages on Arlington Row, is facing a battle over a rise in tourism, with up to 20,000 visitors descending on weekends, and up to 50 coaches arriving daily.
Numbers have increased in recent years thanks to social media influencers promoting the village as a lazy get-away from major cities such as London.
Last year, residents said a lack of parking in the village had led to angry clashes, with one telling the BBC he had been being kicked in the stomach and punched in the face in one incident.
Now village leaders are working on a plan that could see coaches banned.
The first decision by the working group of representatives from Bibury Parish Council, police and Gloucestershire County Council is a change to the layout of coach parking bays to stop the vehicles parking or waiting in a layby on the B4425, next to the picturesque Swan Bridge in the centre of the village.
The next stage is to consider restricting coaches from the village, with ideas such as reviewing weight restrictions, finding coach parking outside the village and looking at ways to ban coach stopping and parking.
They will also look to encourage the use of minibus travel and public transport.
“Whilst the residents of Bibury acknowledge that we live in a lovely village the pressures put on us by the sheer volume of tourists visiting and coaches bringing tourists has become intolerable and unacceptable,” said Craig Chapman, chairman of Bibury Parish Council.
“As a consequence of the lack of infrastructure, road narrowness and the disruptive and unsafe location of the two existing coach bays, it is a fact that Bibury is not a suitable destination for larger coaches.
“Whilst this is the start of action it is very positive and I am confident will be appreciated by the community.’’
County councillor Lisa Spivey said the arrival of so many large coaches posted a danger to residents and villages, making the village “chaotic almost all year round”. She added: “These measures will help restore some calm so that everyone can enjoy this beautiful historic village.”
Bibury is not the only village in the Cotswolds which has become overwhelmed by tourism.
In Castle Combe, residents said their privacy had been “invaded” by tourists’ drones, while the community ruined by short-term holiday rentals. The 356-resident village is visited by hundreds of people each year.
Meanwhile, minibus operators that tour the Cotswold villages have seen a surge in business.
Family-run Go Cotwolds took 6,300 guests on excursions from pick-up points in Stratford-upon-Avon and Moreton-in-Marsh last year – and has already got to half that figure through bookings this year.
“The Cotswolds is such a popular destination these days,” co-owner Tom Benjamin told Punchline Gloucester. “It seems to be the place to go for people visiting London who want to see a little bit of the countryside.”
