A wealthy businessman has been instructed to demolish his Indian gastro pub after it was erected next to a Shakespeare heritage site. Rakesh Singh has lost his fight over his pub, ‘The Cask N Tandoor’, which is just a stone’s throw from the childhood home of the Bard’s wife, Anne Hathaway, and was built in Shottery, Warwickshire.
The ‘Indian gastro pub’, situated 188m (618ft) from Anne Hathaway’s Cottage, was constructed without the necessary planning permission last March. The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which oversees the childhood home of Shakespeare’s wife, lodged a complaint that the eatery was encroaching on their land, which is a protected Conservation Area. Mr Singh, 57, has now been given six months to demolish the gastro pub and decking, which measures 114 square metres in size.
The businessman, who owns the four-star Burnside Hotel in Shottery, situated on the outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon, has been embroiled in the battle for months.
Last month, Stratford District Council refused retrospective planning permission, stating the gastro pub failed to “enhance the character” of its historic neighbour. The company director initially received approval for plans to replace a timber shed with two additional en suite bedrooms for the hotel and a plant room.
However, he encountered issues with planners when he doubled the size of the development, adding a gastro pub and large outdoor wooden terrace for patrons.
The council has now issued Mr Singh with an enforcement notice, giving him six months to demolish the pub. The order — which was served on August 12 — will take effect on September 23 unless an appeal is made.
The notice states that Mr Singh must demolish the pub, patio, seating area, and gabion wall structure.
It adds: “In the absence of a planning permission with conditions to control the use of the pub building and associated outdoor seating area, it is considered that there is the potential for there to be a detrimental impact on the residential amenity of nearby residential properties through noise and disturbance.”
The notice also cites the “overdevelopment of the site” and “the erosion of an important open area that contributes to the landscape and character of Shottery”.
Hotel manager Minty Manhas said the row had been “blown out of all proportion”.
Speaking earlier this year — after the council rejected the retrospective planning application — she said: “We have Indian chefs working there and all British people want to have a curry.
“We serve Tandoori Indian food and pub classics, what is not to like?”
