PLANS to build a car museum to celebrate the Colt Car Company were opposed by Cirencester Town Council yesterday.

The plans outline an octagonal building attached to the company's office building which will have an area of 448 square metres (equivalent to a 21m by 21m square).

The town council’s planning committee opposed the plans due to concerns about increased visitor traffic and and parking.

Chairman of the committee, Stuart Tarr, said: “We are not satisfied with the adequacy of parking arrangements, which are not described, or the impact on local streets and roads, which are already overwhelmed with parking.

He added that the parking situation at the company was already “exacerbated by the racking”.

He continued: “The planning committee regrets the absence of information in the planning statement from the company and its agents related to the times and use of the museum and to satisfactory arrangements.”

John Peacock, of City Bank Road, whose back garden faces the controversial car racking at the company’s site, spoke for residents living nearby.

For more than a year, residents have complained about the car racking structure deemed an eyesore and a nuisance with regards to noise.

He said: “[The company] are devious and cannot be trusted. They state ‘The museum underlines Colt’s pride in their business, a pride that they would share and promote to their employees and visitors to their UK home in Cirencester.’ A shame they don’t show the same pride to their neighbours ”

“We are all aware of Cirencester’s parking problems and this museum will only exasperate the situation causing parking on neighbouring roads and disenfranchising residents.

“The loss of parking spaces due to the illegal pallet racking makes matters worse. Colt are presently appealing an enforcement order to remove the racking.

“We fail to see how both the pallet racking and the museum should be allowed to operate at the same time and we ask that any decision on the museum planning application be deferred until a decision is returned from the inspectorate on the enforcement notice appeal.”

Town and parish councils can comment and put forward recommendations on planning applications, but applications will be decided by Cotswold District Council.