Legal action over pub near Anne Hathaway cottage

A charity caring for William Shakespeare heritage sites has started legal action after a hotelier built a pub near the former home of the Bard's wife without planning permission.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust said Rakesh Singh breached a legal covenant which limits new development on its land after he opened the Cask N Tandoor 200m away from Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Shottery, Warwickshire.

Despite applying for retrospective permission, Mr Singh may have to demolish the building after Stratford-on-Avon District Council refused plans.

Stansgate Planning, on behalf of him, said it was reviewing reasons for refusal.

The charity said it had begun legal proceedings against the hotelier, who opened the gastropub in the grounds of his four-star Burnside Hotel in March.

The trust stated it had started those over covenant breaches, "repeated incidents of trespass", unauthorised works and damage to the land, which is in a conservation area.

The charity argued plans had a "detrimental impact... on the rural community in regards to intensification of use and the effect on the character of the area".

Despite applying for retrospective permission for the pub and a patio area, the 56-year-old hotelier could be forced to tear down the single-storey building, after the council refused his plans on 16 December, citing concerns over the impact on biodiversity and overdevelopment.

The authority also said the pub "fails to preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area".

Neighbours complained the pub was "incongruous" with the village's surroundings, was "unaesthetically pleasing", intruded on wildlife and had damaged the bank of a nearby brook.

A woman living nearby said the new site had caused light and noise pollution, writing: "It is particularly bad during winter months, with spotlights flooding through to my garden/windows."

Another added noise in the evening "from drinkers in the garden can be very loud" and "getting in and out of Shottery has become busier".

Stansgate Planning said on behalf of Mr Singh: "We are currently reviewing the reasons for refusal and all the consultation comments with a view to either submitting another planning application or appealing against the decision."

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