Oxford News
Noise fears from customers if Cotswold restaurant built
Plans for the new building in the rear garden of the Dial House Hotel and Restaurant in Bourton-on-the-Water have sparked strong objections from villagers.
Dial House (Bourton) Limited wants permission from Cotswold District Council for the new single-storey building in the rear garden of the High Street property which would be used as a restaurant.
But nearby residents and Bourton’s parish council have objected amid concerns over the noise disturbance an increase in customers could lead to.
Wayne Harris, one of the objectors, said: ”I have no doubt that the applicant will be making the case for development as a catalyst for increased business within the village.
“Bourton-on-the-Water is however suffering from considerable ‘overtourism’ making the very character of the village that visitors come to see increasingly diminished.
“There are more than enough eateries and drinking establishments in the village without the addition of this pavilion; especially with it being so close to residential properties.”
He also went on to request the removal of the “wigwams” and temporary WC as soon as possible.
Another resident, Lorraine Banks, asked that planners visit the area in the evening to see just how quiet it actually is.
“Why also is yet another restaurant needed in a village that is saturated with eating places that struggle to attract staff?
“If this permission is granted, it would make me wonder what actually is the point of a conservation area if it can be so easily disregarded by owners who not only do not live in the village but do not even appear to live in the UK.
“The garden needs to be restored to what it is supposed to be, a garden that the residents of the hotel can enjoy and not destroy the peace and quiet of the surrounding properties.”
Andrew Jackson, another villager, said experience with previous proposals indicates that noise has been a considerable issue.
“We are apprehensive that the current plans may exacerbate this problem,” he said.
He went on to say that residents “find it unacceptable that the noise survey was conducted during the winter months”.
“The volume of music emanating from the premises is such that even our newly installed double glazing, intended to mitigate noise, has proven ineffective.”
And he added that “during warmer periods, the intrusive noise from the beer garden and, more recently, a monthly gathering of supercars on Sunday mornings, prevents us from enjoying our own garden in peace.
“We question whether a new building should be permitted merely metres from a listed building.”
While another nearby resident said they are “horrified” that there will be a service area “complete with bins, gravel, staff talking and apparently multiple compressors, how can this be allowed so near to my bedroom window”.
“When Maxi’s [Tipi Lounge at Dial House] was open I could hear the noise from there until late of an evening even with my window closed,” they said.
“The owners quite obviously do not care about the residents in the surrounding properties otherwise they would keep this garden as it was meant to be, a quiet area for hotel guests without destroying the surrounding properties amenities.
“It has been lovely not hearing guests swearing and singing drunkenly while Maxi’s has been closed, this is a quiet area of the village.”
And Fiona Formby, another resident also raised concerns over noise.
“We have all had to live with a huge amount of noise and disruption for many years now, while the Dial House evolves its offer,” she said.
“There is day noise, cars driving on gravel, people talking and shouting loudly as they do in this kind of environment and it continues into the evenings, only louder fuelled by alcohol.”
She said they hope the plans are rejected and “force them to remove the absolute eyesores still in place in what was a beautiful garden”.
Consultants working on behalf of the Dial House say the proposals seek to replace the previously approved temporary structure, and consolidate the existing temporary site facilities into a single high-quality pavilion.
They say the scale is appropriate for the site, and function of the building which will have a floor area of 162 square metres and a main dining space suitable for 40 covers.
It will contain a serving kitchen including a pizza oven, space for building services, and WC facilities.
The main kitchen in the Dial House will be the principal kitchen for both the hotel and pavilion so they won’t need commercial kitchen extract ventilation systems in the pavilion.
“The pavilion will be constructed from a limited pallet of high-quality materials,” the plans read.
“The walls to the front wing will be formed with Cotswold rubblestone back mortared, with an Ashlar stone plinth, and widow surrounds.”
The Dial House has been approached for further comment.
Planners are yet to decide the outcome of the proposals.
On Wednesday, September 2, it was the Concours judging and private viewings to dominate the agenda for the day.
Twelve Concours classes were held across almost a century of motoring, including The Golden Age of Motoring, 100 Years of Carrrozzeria Touring, La Dolce Vita, 60 Years of the Lamborghini Miura and Passione Ferrari.
Two new classes also made their debut for 2026, Rare Breeds of the Digital Age and Hypercar Heaven, which recognise the growing importance of contemporary performance cars within the international collector market.
Judging will take place across Wednesday and Thursday, with the show field bringing together a 70-strong collection of classics, supercars and hypercars from around the world.
Some of the cars include Aa Maserati 8C 3000, Alfa Romeo Sprint Berlinetta, a one-off Maserati 3500GT Spyder Prototipo by Vignale, a very early Porsche 356 Split Window Coupé, Aston Martin DB3S, Lamborghini Miura P400S, Bizzarrini 5300GT, Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet, Bugatti EB110 Prototype, Aston Martin Valiant Prototype and the extraordinary Bugatti Bolide, one of just 40 produced worldwide.
Helen Pike has decided to step down as Master of Magdalen College School at the end of the 2026/27 academic year, the school in east Oxford announced in March.
MCS is one of the top performing schools in the country, ranking in the top 20 independent secondary schools in The Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide 2026.
READ MORE: UK private school headteacher to leave after 11 years
The new academic year will start next week, with Ms Pike preparing for one more year in charge before she hands over to her successor, who will take over in September 2027.
The first female Master at MCS, Ms Pike guided the board of governors to one of the most significant decisions in the school’s history, to become fully co-educational from 2027.
While there has been a co-educational sixth form at the school for 15 years, the school last month announced it will become fully co-educational over the coming decade.
Ms Pike said earlier: “I love MCS, and it is a perennial privilege to lead this remarkable school.
“Being Master of MCS is a brilliant job, and I am declaring my intention early in order to give MCS the very best opportunity to find the right Master for September 2027. I shall continue to do all in my power to further the fortunes of this wonderful school until then.
“I look forward to a new phase in my own professional life, one that builds on all that I have enjoyed and achieved in my career during the past 30 years.
“Having encouraged many cohorts of pupils to take sensible risks and to do something creative and different when the time feels right, I am doing just that.”
During Ms Pike’s tenure, MCS has been recognised as a Top 20 Independent School and South East School of the Year by the Sunday Times and won Independent School of the Year for Social Mobility.
Thanking her in his letter to the school community, chair of governors, Bob Price, said earlier this year: “Helen is an outstanding leader and will go with our sincere gratitude and warm thanks for her exceptional headship.
“She will leave the school in excellent shape for her successor.”
Recruitment for a replacement for Ms Pike is now under way.
Last month, Ms Pike congratulated pupils on their “outstanding success” in this year’s A-Level exams, after more than a quarter of pupils (43) achieved three A*s or more and 25 secured all A*s.
In total, 39 pupils from the 2026 cohort are heading to Oxbridge, while 22 have secured places to study medicine.
As part of the school’s expansion plans, MCS is preparing to build a new Science, Library and Partnerships building.
A spokeswoman said the new building will offer an exciting opportunity to reimagine the senior school site as staff look ahead to full co-education.
She added earlier: “With a vision to create a sector-leading science building in the centre of Oxford, the development will enable us to support an ambitious and forward-looking science curriculum, expanding to the emerging and rapidly advancing areas of robotics, AI and Big Data.”
Holding banners which read ‘For f**k’s sake, just stop oil’, the demonstrators took to the road in Parliament Square at noon today (Wednesday, September 2).
This was as Andy Burnham faced his first Prime Minister’s Questions, and many of the protestors glued themselves to the road.
The group demanded that the UK government stop approving all further oil and gas developments, and sign a Fossil Fuel Treaty to stop oil and gas extraction.
READ MORE: Witney firefighters called out to over 50 incidents in one month
Just Stop Oil say that the police are expected to arrest all those blocking the road, and that one lane has been left free of glued-on action takers to permit access for emergency vehicles.
Andy Burnham is due to make a decision on whether to allow more drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.
Reverend James Crote, a Baptist Minister and grandfather from Chesterton near Bicester, said: “Today is my grandson’s first birthday. I have to take action for the sake of his future.
The 69-year-old added: “The government has been dilly-dallying about whether to say yes or no to the Rosebank oil field but, if we want a future for our children, there is no choice – it has to say ‘no’.
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“I am here as a Christian Minister because the Church has to speak out and demand that the government stops approving further oil and gas developments now. It’s time for us all to say ‘For God’s sake, Just Stop Oil’.”
Data from the Met Office indicates that 2026 was the hottest summer in UK recorded history, beating 2025, which was the previous hottest summer on record.
2026 was also one of the driest summers on record, delivering record-low food harvests.
Climbing temperatures have triggered wildfires across the country, and national fire chiefs said the wildfire risk facing the UK is “like nothing we have seen before”.
READ MORE: Broadchurch star selling £1.8m ‘magical’ Cotswolds mill house after 60 years
Taking action, grandmother Victoria Ann Lynch-Staunton from Leamington Spa, said: “What is happening is beyond a tragedy.”
The 71-year-old added: “I beg everyone to join Just Stop Oil or governments will continue to prioritise endless growth and corporate profit over billions of lives – yours and your children.
“Wake up and smell the coffin. It is the responsibility of all of us to act now!”
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said today: “We are all Just Stop Oil.
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“Every single person who fears deadly wildfires, devastating droughts, and spiralling food shortages is Just Stop Oil.
“The first duty of government is to keep the public safe – but by greenlighting oil and gas drilling, they endanger our survival while corporates and billionaires laugh their way to the bank.
“Every one of us feels alone and powerless in the face of this insanity, but we know there is massive political and public support for our demand.
“So we’re inviting everyone to join us at an online call on 3rd October 2026 – because it’s when we work together that we are powerful and win.”
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