Bibury, a Cotswolds village once dubbed "the most beautiful village in the world" by Forbes, is now earning £45,000 a year from parking fines as it grapples with over-tourism. The village, famous for its 14th-century honey-coloured stone cottages that featured on the inside cover of UK passports, has seen a surge in parking enforcement.
Sharp rise in penalty notices
Figures show parking wardens issued 651 penalty charge notices in Bibury last year, up from just 28 in 2019. With fines set at £70 – reduced to £35 if paid within a fortnight – tickets issued in 2025 could have generated up to £45,570, equivalent to about £3,797 a month or roughly £900 a week.
This compares to the 28 fines issued in 2019, which would have generated £1,900.
Residents' complaints
An independent report has highlighted how global acclaim is now causing a major headache for locals, who complain of dangerous parking and over-tourism along the village's narrow lanes. Community representative Craig Chapman said many visitors showed "very little regard for the villagers".
He said people who had gone to the effort of getting to Bibury would park wherever they could, even if it meant blocking pavements or stopping on double yellow lines. Mr Chapman argued that firm enforcement was needed to keep routes open for the emergency services and to make sure pedestrians could walk safely through the centre of the village.
Enforcement costs and future plans
The cost of sending wardens out so regularly is estimated at around £4,000 per month, meaning that income from fines alone does not cover the full enforcement bill. In response, the council now plans to bring in pay-and-display parking for 24 on-street spaces along The Street, with proposed charges of £6 or £7 for two hours during the busy March to October period.
Those tariffs have been benchmarked against other high-visitor locations. Officials say they could bring in up to £218,880 a year, delivering a projected surplus of up to £360,680 over four years once enforcement costs are taken into account.
Pedestrianisation and wider investment
Separately, a pedestrianised area in the middle of Bibury – previously used for coach parking – is to be made permanent, with temporary barriers replaced by structures better suited to the historic setting. A focus group is also examining options for out-of-village parking to ease pressure on residents' driveways and the village's tight road network, amid a wider £175,000 investment package aimed at managing visitor numbers and congestion.
A council spokesperson said the figures in the latest report are 'absolute maximums' - and fines are reduced if paid quicker or appealed.
Council response
Lisa Spivey, Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: "We're very lucky here in Gloucestershire that we have so many beautiful Cotswold towns and villages that attract visitors."
"We want to ensure that the community in Bibury is well supported from those who want to manage tourism to businesses that rely on the income to those that want to have a wonderful day out."
She said the village receives a huge number of visitors, which has led to congestion issues, adding: "The council has taken a proactive enforcement approach to ensure both residents and visitors can enjoy the village."
"This involves working together and part of this is managing parking that is safe, legal and appropriate for the size of the village."
