A Cirencester-based commercial property firm has moved from its town centre premises to a new office space out of town.

Barnsdales Cirencester, which used to be known as David Allberry & Co, has moved to a shared office space just minutes away from its old premises to escape town centre parking.

The property consultancy is now located at Cirencester Office Park, a business park which the company has managed for more than ten years. Barnsdales was formerly based at the Old Bank Chambers on Castle Street in Cirencester.

When the lease on this office expired on October 4, the company made the decision to relocate, partly due to the daily difficulties caused by restrictive parking in the town centre.

The company has explained that free on-site parking at the site was one of its main reasons for moving.

Previously, the team claims to have struggled with the difficult parking situation in Cirencester town centre where many public pay and display car parks are limited to stays of up to four hours.

When based on Castle Street, consultant surveyor Spencer Gower, who runs the office, had to plan his days around the parking situation. Meetings had to be planned around the need to move his car, he had to leave the office early to work from home and he would often have to spend around half an hour driving around town just to find a space.

Mr Gower said: "We loved being based in the town centre and I was proud to continue the business there after David Allberry retired. Unfortunately, it was really difficult trying to park for work because of the limited number of car parks and the really short time restrictions they have.

"There is only one pay and display car park in the town centre that allows you to park for the whole day and it inevitably gets full very quickly. All the other car parks are limited to three or four hours and that just isn't practical when you're working a full day. The only alternative is to park outside someone's home and walk into work, but I really don't like doing that because it's annoying for the people who live there.

"This isn't just a problem for us - as a property consultant, I work with a wide range of businesses and property owners in the town centre and it's a commonly felt issue.

"A healthy high street needs a variety of businesses and whether they're offices, retailers or cafes, they depend on people being able to work in the town centre. These parking restrictions mean that businesses may be deterred from setting up and staying in the town centre because they affect everyone who works here. If Cirencester is to reach its full potential, we have to have more all-day parking.

"For us, parking is no longer an issue at all because we have on-site parking at the new office, and life has become a lot easier as a result. Cirencester is a great place to work; the town has a lot to offer but something needs to be done about the parking dilemma before more businesses are driven away like we've been. After all, it wouldn't be 'The Capital of the Cotswolds' without a thriving local economy and a community of local workers.

Spencer feels that something needs to be done to pull workers into this historic market town, not push them away.

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Barnsdales Cirencester's new office is at Unit 9 Cirencester Office Park, Tetbury Road, Cirencester GL7 6JJ and can be contacted on 01285 657944 or by emailing spencer@barnsdales.co.uk .