Protesters will march against new park charges
ALARGE protest is expected to take place at Cirencester Park as people march against the site’s controversial introduction of charges and electric gates for visitors.
The new electric pedestrian gates on four main routes into Cirencester Park will be activated on Friday, March 15 which means every visitor will need a pass to access its grounds.
These new automated pedestrian gates have been installed at Cecily Hill, Windsor Walk, Barton Lane and Cirencester Park Caravan & Motorhome Club. Owned and managed by the Bathurst Estate, its team said the new charges will “support conservation work” while Lord Bathurst remarked the pass system will fund maintenance at the park.
Yet local residents and Right to Roam campaign say they are organising the ‘trespass’ on Sunday, March 17 and “celebrate hundreds of years of community heritage.” The gathering will hear speeches from residents, historians and Right to Roam campaigners to highlight the complications of introducing charges and the site’s links to the slave trade.
But Right to Roam declined to say it was trespassing. A spokesman said: “They might call it that. But that’s the absurdity of this situation: one day you’re going for a walk, the next you’re labelled a trespasser.
“Really we’re just doing what we’ve always done: going for a peaceful wander in the park.”
The Bathurst family has run the grade I listed Cirencester Park estate since 1695.
The site grew in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic as residents and visitors sought to go for long walks during lockdown restrictions.
The Bathurst Estate explained the automation of the existing pedestrian gates would remove the need for staff to physically unlock and lock the gates each day.
A spokesperson for the Bathurst Estate said: “The Bathurst Estate is aware of the Right to Roam planned activity in Cirencester Park on Sunday, March 17. The Estate’s primary concern is to ensure the safety of all park users throughout the day, including members of the public and staff and to ensure that wildlife and conservation areas are not harmed. Spring is a sensitive time for wildlife in the Park and we ask that Park users are considerate of the nesting birds, that dogs are kept on leads where requested and that fenced off areas are respected.
“The Bathurst Estate has been in touch with the organisers of Sunday’s event and Gloucestershire police, with a view that any intended activity is conducted with consideration for the wildlife and delicate areas of the Park, and the visiting public.”
Local residents within postcodes of GL7 0, GL7 1, GL7 2, GL7 5, GL7 6 and GL7 7 and the villages of Edgworth, Frampton Mansell, Ashton Keynes and Latton can claim a Cirencester Park Community Pass. This will require a one-off deposit of £10 (per pass) and can be applied for as a household or an individual. An individual Cirencester Park Annual Pass will cost £30 and an annual household pass, which can be used by up to six people in one household, will cost £50.
Visitors can also purchase a Cirencester Park Day Pass which costs £4 for adults and £2 for children, and will allow the visitor to enter Cirencester Park from 10am to 5pm, with last entry at 4.30pm. Students enrolled at Cirencester Deer Park School, Cirencester College and the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) can apply for a discounted Student Pass for £10.