A Cotswold village is considering banning carriages from plying its streets, despite warnings that they would drive tourists away.
Authorities in Bourton-on-the-Water are investigating the creation of a no-go area for buses carrying visitors.
Parish councilors say they want to address ongoing problems, including a lack of parking at one of the area’s most popular tourist attractions.
About 238,000 people visit the village a year by bus or minibus and business owners have warned that banning buses would negatively impact trade and turn the village into a ghost town.
Andrew Lund-Yates, 63, said his pub and hotel would lose 10 per cent of its income if the plans go ahead.
Mr Lund-Yates bought the Old New Inn in 2018 and was planning to reinvest in the pub but said there was “no way” he could do so if coaches were banned.
“The council is interested in moving tourists out of Bourton, which is frustrating for businesses who have set up their own business to look after tourists,” he said.
“Tourists are our highest spending visitors. My plan was based on coaches.
He added: ”Other businesses have limited options, restrictions could mean the difference between staying open and closing.
“Small businesses may close if winter travel stops. We don’t want to look like a seasonal beach village. There’s a lot of anxiety.”
If approved, the plan will use traffic regulation orders to block bus access to Bourton from the A429 to Lansdowne, as well as the High Street and Station Road.
The decision will require visitors to walk 30 minutes from the pick-up point to the city centre.
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, any final decision will be subject to public consultation and will need to be implemented by the highways authority at Gloucestershire County Council.
Until December, buses could drop off passengers at a car park just outside the city centre, but the arrangement between the municipality and the car park owner has now changed.
Locals say a refurbished car park on the other side of the city center could make a good drop-off point, but the February renovation did not include any bus bays.
As a result, bus drivers are forced to use unofficial drop-off points, frustrating residents who pause when large vehicles turn around.
Charles Watt, 67, who owns a souvenir shop in the village, described the proposed plan as ridiculous.
He said: “Members of parliament need to be dismissed. We will lose some business.
“It’s very inconsiderate. They did nothing to find a solution. They didn’t help in any way.”
James Walker, 38, who runs a café across the street from the Christmas store his wife runs, said the neighborhood offer would definitely affect his sales.
On certain days, about 70 percent of sales come from tourists arriving by bus, he said.
“If we prevent people from coming, foot traffic will be negatively affected,” he said.
Andy Pulham, 54, runs Pulham & Sons Coaches, which has been operating in the village since 1880.
If the plans were implemented, bus drivers would not be able to pick up passengers from the city center.
He said: “No one will be able to enter the area.
“What is disappointing is that by banning buses we are taking away the option for low-income people and the elderly to take trips.
“What we’re saying is you can’t enjoy Bourton unless you have a car.
“Visitors from abroad want to come here. Old people live for these trips.”
He added: ”There are other districts nearby that say ‘you can come and visit us’. [if you can’t visit Bourton].”
Gwen Homes, 81, and Joan Lidgbird, 84, traveled to Bourton by bus from Solihull for a day as part of an over-50s trip.
They said they would not make a reservation if the tour required a half hour walk into the village.
Ms Homes said: “We have some people with us who cannot walk. “I wouldn’t want to come on this trip.”
But some residents are unhappy with the inconvenience caused by visitors.
Noel McCaffery, 77, has lived in Bourton for 40 years. The retired stonemason complained that the driveway was often used by buses trying to return after dropping off tourists in the city centre.
He said: “No one can come in, no one can go out. Buses are blocking intersections.
“Business owners only think about themselves. “They don’t think about the local people who endure all this hardship.”
Brian Smith, 81, also complained about the disruption but said it was the council’s poor planning that was to blame, not the bus companies.
Retired carriage driver said: “The village can’t stand it anymore [with the level of tourism]. The numbers are very high.
“I can see the Rams coming back [to the cul-de-sac] translate “My complaint is with the council who knew this was going to happen.”
Neighborhood council members will decide in April.