A Warwickshire businessman has been ordered to demolish an Indian gastropub built without proper planning permission less than 200 metres from Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, the Stratford-upon-Avon site managed by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
Stratford District Council issued an enforcement notice requiring the removal of the Cask N Tandoor, its outdoor seating area, a gabion wall structure and a 114-square-metre decking area. The notice was served on Aug. 12 and will take effect on Sept. 23 unless the owner appeals; the council has given the owner six months to carry out the works once the notice takes effect.
The owner, identified in public records as 57-year-old Rakesh Singh, built the pub last March as part of the Burnside Hotel complex in the Shottery village. The council rejected a retrospective planning application for the development last month, concluding that the brookside building did not “enhance the character” of nearby historic buildings and that the works amounted to overdevelopment and “the erosion of an important open area that contributes to the landscape and character of Shottery.”
The enforcement notice also said that, in the absence of planning permission, the pub and associated outdoor seating had the potential to cause a detrimental impact on nearby residential amenity through noise and disturbance.
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust complained to the council that the structure intruded on land adjacent to Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and did not respect the character of the conservation area. A trust spokesperson said the works contravened local planning policy and an existing restrictive covenant and did not respect the amenity of surrounding properties, including the 15th-century thatched cottage where Anne Hathaway grew up.
Planning records show Mr. Singh originally received approval to replace a timber shed with two en-suite bedrooms and a plant room, but later altered and expanded the scheme to include the pub and a large outdoor terrace. The council said that change, and the scale of the completed building, were not covered by the previously approved permission.
Local reaction has been mixed. Some residents raised concerns about wildlife and damage to a nearby brook, as well as complaints about light and noise from the venue. Others said the development provided new hospitality options for visitors and locals. The hotel’s manager, Minty Manhas, told the Daily Mail earlier this year that the dispute had been “blown out of all proportion” and that Mr. Singh had no intention of demolishing the pub. Ms. Manhas also suggested some opposition was motivated by resentment and said many locals and hotel guests had responded positively to the new restaurant.
Stansgate Planning, acting on behalf of Mr. Singh, said it was reviewing the council’s reasons for refusal and consultation comments with a view to either submitting a fresh planning application or lodging an appeal against the enforcement notice.
The Burnside Hotel is listed as a 24-room, four-star property. Public records and previous press reports identify Mr. Singh as a former Indian army cavalry officer and a local property owner who purchased the rundown site and nearby buildings in recent years.
The cottage where Anne Hathaway was born in 1556 is a listed building and a focal point of Stratford-upon-Avon’s heritage tourism. The conservation area in Shottery includes a number of historic properties and is subject to planning policies intended to protect its character and setting.
Stratford District Council and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust enforced planning controls after receiving complaints and reviewing the unauthorised works. Burnside Hotel, the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and the council were contacted for comment.
If no appeal is lodged, the enforcement notice’s requirements will take effect as scheduled and the owner will be legally required to carry out the demolition and removal within the six-month compliance period specified by the council.