Shakespeare house to get 800 new homes built in its back yard

Shakespeare house to get 800 new homes built in its back yard
Shakespeare house to get 800 new homes built in its back yard

Rex



The Government has given the go-ahead for 80 homes to be built near William Shakespeare's wife's cottage - a popular tourist attraction in Stratford-upon-Avon.

According to the Daily Mail, planners at Stratford District Council first rejected a proposal to build properties near a primary school, health centre and row of shops in Shottery, Warwickshire.

However, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles overturned the council ruling on Tuesday after developers Bloor Homes and Hallam Land Management appealed the decision, meaning the homes can be built near the historical home of Anne Hathaway.

The Daily Mail reports that Stratford-upon-Avon Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi criticised the ruling and accused Mr Pickles of defying the will of Parliament.

'I'm shocked to learn that the Secretary of State has chosen to approve the proposal for 800 houses in Shottery against the clear wishes of local residents, their elected representatives and the planning policy direction of the government,' he said.

He added: 'I will be making my views on this issue clear to the Secretary of State and the Prime Minister and have already made a strong representation on behalf of the people of Stratford to Nick Boles, Minister for Planning.'

Protestors against the development expressed their 'bitter' disappointment at the ruling and secretary of campaign group RASE (Residents Against Shottery Expansion), Gordon Brace, said: 'The Secretary of State gives no weight to the common view of the district council, the local MP, the county councillors for the area, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and three local volunteer groups.

'Here is another top-down decision from people who neither understand nor respect the importance and nature of this historic town.'

Stratford district councillor Jenny Fradgley, whose ward includes the proposed 800 homes, said: 'This is a major setback for the town.

'This Shottery site - in open countryside and close to Anne Hathaway's Cottage - should never have been put in the local plan in the first place.'

Grade I listed Anne Hathaway's Cottage was the family home of Shakespeare's wife and attracts more than 50,000 visitors from around the world each year.

The house hit the headlines last month when the Birthplace Trust illegally converted a historic barn at the cottage into an ice cream kiosk.

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