Closed car park at The Bull

Wed 11 Oct 2023, 09:12

Because of ongoing construction works , having skips and building materials / vans , thus not taking away street spaces ? 

Sun 8 Oct 2023, 09:40

Couldn’t agree more Ben. Hopefully more businesses to come. 

Sun 8 Oct 2023, 08:14

I guess Mile now, the man has your name, and you’ve made a slanderous remark at him, which is almost a defamation of character. A very serious allegation, but I guess we’ll see how far this goes. On another note. Maybe people should embrace the fact that the Cotswolds and Charlbury is building and Bull and Bell are attracting people which are providing jobs and bringing business.

Sun 8 Oct 2023, 03:00

Because the bus route goes through the middle of town, Hattie. And the buses are rarely empty.

Sat 7 Oct 2023, 23:12

Question on the bus as per the start of this post. Why are double decker buses that are empty driving through the middle of the town? 

Sat 7 Oct 2023, 13:27

Saw a few parking tickets on cars outside the pubs last night. 
‘Apparently’ on the tickets was written “Charlbury is our home. Please park with some respect, love Charlbury”. 
I wonder if they were bought on eBay and so are available for others to buy, should they wish to. 

Fri 6 Oct 2023, 15:26 (last edited on Fri 6 Oct 2023, 15:26)

Given the recent antisocial behaviour of a group around the Community Centre, and the antisocial group around The Bull, could we not play one off against the other?

We could employ the troublesome youth to go and chase off the middle age parking violators, thus creating a sense of worth and providing a creative use of their talents.

My issue would be getting them to wear the high Viz jackets which would, no doubt, be required, as I have been reliably informed that they are, "well fugly, bruv". 

Thu 5 Oct 2023, 19:50

In answer to James's earlier question, because the SSE emergency work was taking place the officer wasn't able to make a full assessment, but has noted the chill unit, the canvas and the fencing at the back which she is going to investigate further to see if they are planning breaches. She is will be coming back next week when the emergency work is finished.

Thu 5 Oct 2023, 18:58 (last edited on Fri 6 Oct 2023, 18:44)

Bus movements and lack of them is nothing new and has been problematic for ever ! When the Bull and the Bell were closed , irresponsible parking by all vehicle types was still happening. A number of vehicle of all makes and models with owners being fuelled by levels of happy juice that is / was, as antisocial as anything that can be deemed as an inappropriate vehicle, for the use in rural areas. I’m sure it’s a witch hunt ! 

Thu 5 Oct 2023, 12:59 (last edited on Thu 5 Oct 2023, 13:23)

I live on Browns Lane and the bus getting stuck issue has been an ongoing issue for years. The double yellow lines have made it a bit less of a problem (especially now the old white parking lines have belatedly been covered over properly) but people still park on them regularly and they're invariably Bull customers as the car park hasn't been consistently available to customers since they've re-opened. 

The bus driver and a helpful passer-by often have to go into the Bull to pull out a Range Rover or Porsche driver to move their car as the bus is stuck.

I know that The Bull's management have been told about this on more than one occasion and about their contractors parking all over the double yellow lines. Glad that the council are now looking into it. 

Thu 5 Oct 2023, 12:30

It is not just Range Rovers, having been stuck on a bus for 10 minutes before the driver of the offending Openreach van was alerted to his antisocial parking. There surely could be something done to make parking in that spot impossible as it happens far too frequently.

Thu 5 Oct 2023, 12:29 (last edited on Thu 5 Oct 2023, 12:33)

Nice one, Richard. 

Alternatively, Rishi could use some of the money that he has saved from cancelling HS2 to replace all of the Stagecoach bus horns with what is commonly referred to as a "Nee-Nah". That might usefully concentrate a few minds...

Thu 5 Oct 2023, 11:35

I can now recognise the sound of a Stagecoach bus horn from my study (which is about 50m from the narrow bit of Browns Lane) and have more than once gone out there to help sort things out…

Thu 5 Oct 2023, 11:22

Don't worry, Rishi has got it covered.

"The government is set to introduce a historic new law to stop children who turn 14 this year or younger from ever legally being sold Range Rovers in England, in a bid to create the first ‘Range Rover-free generation’.

Proposed new legislation will make it an offence for anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 to be sold JLR products – effectively raising the Range Rover-owning age by a year each year until it applies to the whole population. This has the potential to phase out Range Rovers in young people almost completely as early as 2040."

On second look, that may actually have been something else.

Thu 5 Oct 2023, 11:14

I have noticed the bus getting stuck in that spot numerous times, usually by Range Rovers. I did report one that managed to simultanously prevent pedestrians and other traffic from going in that direction.

Also, surely the tent now counts a permanant structure as it's been there so long and requires planning permission?

Thu 5 Oct 2023, 09:59

What was the upshot of the Planning enforcement visit, Liz?

Thu 5 Oct 2023, 09:48

Thanks Matthew for the useful information. 

Thu 5 Oct 2023, 08:47

In the last couple of months, before my mother went into the care home, I ended up driving to chippy several times a week because I couldn't park the car in the car park, couldn't leave her for the time taken to walk down to the co-op, so my only option was to take her with me in the car. Nice day out for my mother, not so much for the environment and my bank account. 

Wed 4 Oct 2023, 22:14

Never used it (and not sure if it does any good) but this OCC page may be an option if you see parked cars in town not obeying parking restrictions:

Reporting an illegally parked vehicle

There's also a number: "Alternatively, phone our parking contractor Conduent’s control room at 0345 337 1138, option 4".

Best used for Range Rovers, Porsches and Aston Martins of course....

Wed 4 Oct 2023, 20:17

It is very frustrating to have to keep on going round and round the town to find somewhere to park our modest car anywhere near our house, and then have to go out again to find somewhere in the street if we’ve had to park in the co-op for part of the day, where we don’t want to park, but there are no options left, at times.

It feels like a police state here, with people in enormous, shiny black vehicles with black glass windows, parking anywhere they like, just because they can.

I wish we could have a resident's parking permit scheme. I’ve seen them in other places and they work very well, in my experience.

Wed 4 Oct 2023, 18:23

Planning enforcement visited the Bull today to look at the car park

Wed 4 Oct 2023, 17:57 (last edited on Wed 4 Oct 2023, 17:59)

Multi Storey carpark on the Playing Close?

Wed 4 Oct 2023, 17:18

The wonderful addition of restaurants and pubs are, we hope, the beginning of a renaissance of businesses in the town.

Is there a long-term plan for parking?

Wed 4 Oct 2023, 10:32

My spies (they know who they are!) tell me it was Permission No 15/03626/FUL, Condition 5 - but I can't seem to find it on the WODC site so over to Liz and the WODC enforcement team??

No obvious reason why later permissions should cancel out earlier restrictions if unrelated.  But my understanding was that the canopy the Bull put up for street fair was only intended to be temporary - if so, unlikely WODC would feel a need to take enforcement action against it. 

Just to reply to Chris though - the 'planning process' may yet prove more effective than you think! And don't forget it only came seriously into existence in 1947....

 Think I'll steer clear of the rest or we might end up in the outer darkness of the Debate section...

Wed 4 Oct 2023, 09:50

There were quite stringent restrictions placed on parking arrangements at The Bull in 2015. But I am not sure if any restrictions still apply after the most recent (retrospective) planning approvals. A great shame if these have been completely lost. The reduction of 12 parking places to 6 was bad enough.

Some reviews of The Bull on tripadvisor pick out the problems of parking in the town. 

Wed 4 Oct 2023, 09:32

A bit of a witch hunt ? Let the good people of Charlbury decide where, what and how much to pay for a ginger beer , or anything else they desire. 

Wed 4 Oct 2023, 09:13

You can drink real ale in all four pubs in the town for less than a fiver. 

Wed 4 Oct 2023, 08:46

TBH I don't really care if the pints are £7 - I drink in the Rosie. I don't think there is much any of us can do to stop posh/rich people coming to Charlbury, but we can try and make sure it's of as little detriment to the town as possible. 

Can we give The Bull a chance to fix the problem by reinstating the car park, and asking them to police their customers?

Tue 3 Oct 2023, 22:44

Mister Dytor has nailed it. If you want Sloane Square and Sloanies and pints that cost more than £7, then GO THERE! Don't bring it to Charlbury! 

Tue 3 Oct 2023, 22:02

Well there you have it ladies and gentlemen in Rod’s posting, as to why Joe public is becoming increasingly frustrated with the ineffectiveness of the planning process (and possibly local government, but that may be a debate for another day). You have a  Cotswold town that is already desperately short of car parking, then you have a fantastic business and facility in every other way and such an asset to the town, unfortunately reduces its parking options.  

Tue 3 Oct 2023, 20:56 (last edited on Tue 3 Oct 2023, 20:59)

Unless there is a planning condition requiring retention of the parking spaces - which there might be - I doubt they need permission to use the space however they wish (as opposed to building things) as long as it's connected with the principal use as an inn. Trouble is, I don't think they had planning conditions in the 17th century....

Tue 3 Oct 2023, 18:07 (last edited on Tue 3 Oct 2023, 18:09)

Just to let people know that WODC are looking into the removal of spaces in the Bull's car park, as they do not have permission to do that.

Tue 3 Oct 2023, 17:14

Matt, I agree with you about the disabled bays by the Co-op but it's not just them, I frequently see people parking in the adult and child bays even though they have no children with them.  The spaces are wider  so that it is easier to get children out of the car, and near the building to keep them safe.  When I politely asked someone not to park there, I got a mouthful of abuse. 

Tue 3 Oct 2023, 15:58

Well, I presume they are very much not allowed to do that, hence the question about the temporary nature of the 'tent' there now. 

Tue 3 Oct 2023, 15:12 (last edited on Tue 3 Oct 2023, 16:08)

As much as I love the Bull, they do appear to have dumped on the town from an almighty height, by closing their car park and removing six car parking spaces for customers. 

Tue 3 Oct 2023, 14:59

Coincidentally, Thames Water were digging a hole in the Bull car park yesterday night, though there's still a marquee structure there from street fair weekend which restricts access for cars.

Bad parking is not just the preserve of our wealthy visitors: there are significant numbers who drive less conspicuous vehicles than Range Rovers or Aston Martins who consider it acceptable to ignore the double yellow lines or the disabled bay by the Co-Op for their own convenience. The culture of believing that rules apply to others and not to yourself seems to be more widespread, no doubt influenced by our country's leaders who have exercised and normalised this type of selfishness.

Tue 3 Oct 2023, 14:25

We moved to Charlbury away from South Oxfordshire to escape the Henley types…sadly they have followed us 8 years later. In the last few months I have noticed a great increase in expensive cars and corresponding decrease in civil behaviour. We have been Londonized.

Tue 3 Oct 2023, 14:18

Perhaps it’s something to do with this, which Lisa Wilkinson flagged up:

“Temporary road closure to apply to a length of Browns Lane, whilst essential water mains service pipe relay repair works are carried out.

A temporary Notice is being made by Oxfordshire County Council to implement the temporary restriction and will operate from 5 October 2023 up to and including 9 October 2023, 24 hours per day.”

Not sure what happens to buses and traffic whilst that’s going on?

Doesn’t excuse the rudeness shown to Miles.

Tue 3 Oct 2023, 13:53

People might be amused to read about the high incidence of Tyre Weevil and big SUVs happening in Exeter. Well, fairly sure its Exeter. Can't remember the news reference, though someone with a bit of googling acumen will find it, saw it somewhere sometime over the summer.

Tue 3 Oct 2023, 13:27

Did you not get the memo, Miles? According to the Telegraph, we're now Notting Hill on the Wolds. Mr Cigar gets priority now.

Tue 3 Oct 2023, 12:42

I am really pleased to see the pubs and restaurants opening in Charlbury and I wish them all the best. 

As we knew would happen, parking is becoming an issue. Having a Pint at the Rosie we looked out at a bus trying to come through only to be blocked by two Range Rovers a Porsche and a (rather beautiful I admit) Aston Martin (I asked the AM driver to move his car as it was sticking out over the entry from Brown's Ln. He flicked his cigar ash at me and laughed. I afraid I called him something I can't repeat here). 

Do we know why, given this issue was on the way, The Bull have stopped using their car park as...well... a car park? Or was/is it a temporary measure for an event?