A car boot sale has been granted permission to continue using a site at Cheltenham Racecourse, located next to a newly installed two-way cycle, despite concerns from councillors and highways officers about motorists driving across the new infrastructure.
Earlier this week, Cheltenham Borough Council gave the go-ahead for Cheltenham Car Boot and Market to use an existing parking site near the A435 Evesham Road, north of the Gloucestershire town, for up to 14 days a year.
The 18-acre site is otherwise used as a coach drop-off point for punters visiting Cheltenham Racecourse and was previously the home of another car boot sale until 2014, according to the new market’s planning application, Gloucestershire Live reports.
Reg Daldry, who runs the car boot sale, which began operating at the site earlier this spring, says the plan is for the market to be held on non-race days, noting that it would not require any permanent operational development.
However, Daldry’s plans were opposed by dozens of locals, as well as some councillors and Gloucestershire Highways officers, who pointed to the potential for conflict between motorists accessing the site and the new Cheltenham to Bishop’s Cleeve cycleway.
The two-way protected cycleway along Evesham Road was opened last month and marks the second phase of Gloucestershire County Council’s active travel improvements along the road, which also include a new speed limit change from 60mph to 40mph.
“This new cycleway is an important improvement for people travelling between Cheltenham and Bishop’s Cleeve and it’s great to be able to officially open it with the community,” Roger Whyborn, the council’s cabinet member for sustainable transport and strategic highways, said when the cycleway opened in May.
“By creating safer, more accessible routes like this, we’re helping to make walking, wheeling and cycling a realistic choice for everyday journeys, as well as supporting healthier lifestyles and more sustainable travel across the county.”
National Active Travel Commissioner Chris Boardman CBE also praised the new cycle lane, saying: “When you give people a safe, direct and attractive place to ride or walk, they use it – it’s that simple.
“This cycleway isn’t just a piece of infrastructure, it’s an invitation to thousands of people to leave the car at home and travel in a way that’s better for them and better for their community. This is exactly the kind of investment that makes a real difference to real people every single day. It’s particularly encouraging to see this ambition and connectivity in a rural setting.”
However, just a month after the cycleway’s completion, councillors raised concerns that drivers entering and exiting the new car boot sale will have to cross the two-way path, with the entrance to the site located on a descent, where local politicians say cyclists may be travelling at “moderate to high speeds”.
Liberal Democrat councillor Cheryl Agg posted on social media that the car boot sale posed “safety risks for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists queuing along the A435 in both directions”.
In response, resident Gwyn Evans asked: “A few hundred cars are a problem, but race week isn’t?”
“During race week, GCC Highways implement a comprehensive traffic management plan under a Temporary Traffic Regulation Order,” Agg replied, “including timed road closures, one‑way systems, resident access restrictions and pedestrian safety measures, all designed to safely manage the significant increase in traffic and footfall.”
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Speaking at a council meeting discussing the application, Agg’s fellow Lib Dem councillor Roger Whyborn, who holds the cabinet portfolio for road safety, noted that the local authority “recognises” there have been significant congestion problems near the site.
“There is risk to safety of road users where drivers are needing to turn and cross the cycle spine at this location, which needs to be resolved, and the County Council is working to identify further measures to promote safe driver behaviour,” he said.
Daldry, however, questioned why the application was being opposed, telling the meeting: “My planning consultant can’t believe that we are in discussions about this because [Highways] are the ones that designed [the cycleway],” he said. “The car park has been there for 30 years.”
Following the borough council’s decision, which ruled that the car boot sale’s use of the site was lawful and does not require planning permission, Daldry posted online: “Thank you to everyone that supported us on the planning application and the few councillors who also supported us and wrote in.
“Also to the cyclists who also supported us and said we are doing a great job, we really appreciate it.”
1 thought on ““The car park has been there for 30 years”: Car boot sale given go-ahead despite safety concerns over “high speed” cyclists on new bike path”
“This cycleway isn’t just a piece of infrastructure, it’s an invitation to thousands of people to leave the car at home and travel in a way that’s better for them and better for their community.”
Er no, a cycleway *is* just a piece of infrastructure. The idea that you need a dedicated cycleway in order to ride a bike is ludicrous and false, and gives succour to those who think that cyclists don’t belong on a road.