Residents in Clanfield say parking problems caused by celebrity visitors to the Double Red Duke and Mason’s Arms pubs have become so bad they are considering moving out of the village.
Celebrities and social media personalities are prompting Cotswolds residents to consider relocating due to inconsiderate parking outside properties and vehicles reversing in driveways – all to visit the ‘UK’s trendiest pub’.
The Double Red Duke boutique hotel and restaurant – alongside the neighbouring Mason’s Arms – has attracted famous faces including Kate Moss and Jeremy Clarkson.
However, some inhabitants of Clanfield in Oxfordshire, 90 minutes from Birmingham, are far from pleased – claiming the venues generate such severe parking difficulties and traffic ‘chaos’ they’re contemplating leaving the village.
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Residents have positioned cones and bollards outside their properties to prevent patrons parking there.
One added pub visitors ”turn in my driveway – If you say anything you just get a mouthful of abuse”.
The pair of gastro establishments have become magnets for celebrities and Premier League footballers since their takeover in 2021.
Yet villagers claim this has seen parking ‘deteriorate’ with ‘cars everywhere’ – and the situation has become so dire they now wish to relocate.
One resident also expressed concerns it could impact property values.
Pub proprietors Country Creatures declined to comment. Oxfordshire County Council confirmed it has dispatched enforcement officers following complaints from Clanfield Parish Council.
Speaking today, some residents described the road as “wall to wall cars”.Ann Roberts, 67, a resident of 13 years, remarked: “It’s diabolical. They park all over some of the block our driveways.
”Every weekend my neighbours are putting bollards out so they don’t park outside the houses. ” An 87 year old resident, who has lived there since 1969, expressed: “One thing that annoys me is them turning in my driveway.
If you say anything you just get a mouthful of abuse. “Some time ago now a young couple came out of the Double Red Duke and they’d parked on the pavement and I said ‘I think it’s a bit inconsiderate for people on wheelchairs or the children because they’ve got to go on the road’ and he just said ‘oh for goodness sake, get a life’. So that’s the attitude you get. “Yes it’s a very popular pub but when we put an extension on the house we had to prove to the council that we could park our cars on the driveway.
“If I had the type of cars that you get there and I had to park on the road I wouldn’t come to be perfectly honest. “When we first moved here it was a very popular pub and there was a lot of problems with getting in and out of our driveways. ”.
Victoria, a 36 year old local who works in management at a tech company and moved to the village in July last year, stated: “The other day I couldn’t get out of my drive. You want local businesses to be successful as well but the council needs to be more aware. “People park on the war memorial. Weekends it just gets really dangerous with visitors coming in.
It’s not so bad in the weeks “I haven’t got a problem with the pubs, it’s just a problem with the parking. The bigger issue is if the cars block emergency vehicle access like fire engines.” Local resident Chris Bridgewater told the BBC: “Nobody can get through. We bought a bungalow and loved the village – we thought it would be our forever home.
“wall to wall cars”.Ann Roberts, 67, resident of 13 years said: “But we are now thinking of moving again – it’s just got ridiculous. “A ten-year resident, aged 50, commented: “At peak times there’s dangerous parking which means that access to our house is complicated.
“We want to work with the businesses because we don’t feel they are doing anything wrong; it feels like it’s our problem.”
Regarding the increasing number of cars “getting worse” in the village, she said: “It’s changed the atmosphere of the village. People parking disrespectfully isn’t very nice.
“I’ve heard a few people that have said it will affect the value of the properties more if this continues.”If you were to have your property on sale and if they were to view it on Mothering Sunday and all the busy weekends they wouldn’t even bother to try.
“We’re not saying it’s an issue 24/7 but at the weekends it’s becoming an issue. “
Another villager stated: ”This is a real problem – leave their cars everywhere. If it’s a Friday night or a Sunday it’s total chaos.”
Giles Horton, chair of the Clanfield Parish Council, mentioned that those running the pubs were “trying to be as cooperative as they can be”.
He added: “They do try and ask their punters to park in the right sort of places, but people are people – they’ll park wherever they can.”
