BREAKING NEWS: Land sale 'will preserve cottage setting'
At an Extraordinary General Meeting today the trustees have agreed in principle to sell a small parcel of land in a field beyond the boundary of the Cottage grounds to Bloor Hallam Land Management. Bloor Hallam have agreed to meet all of the Trust’s non-negotiable requirements to safeguard the setting of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Gardens.
The Trustees have instructed the Trust’s Executive Team to enter into further negotiations with the developers to secure detailed traffic calming measures in Cottage Lane and related matters.
These measures will ensure that the setting of Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Gardens will be enhanced by the removal of coach traffic and general traffic overall from Cottage Lane, and noise calming measures. The new access to the property will funnel most of the vehicular traffic visiting the property away from the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon, and away from Shottery village, Cottage Lane and Anne Hathaway's Cottage and Gardens. This will reduce the effects of noise, vibration and fumes to the Cottage and its surroundings.
As part of the sale of land the developers will also pay the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust a purchase price yet to be agreed.
Peter Kyle, Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust said: “By opposing the developers’ proposals and holding firm to these non-negotiable requirements for the past few years, the Trustees have been able to secure the setting of Anne Hathaway's Cottage for future generations.
“Alongside many others, we have opposed the housing development and link road proposal but the former Secretary of State allowed the developers’ appeal and the High Court also ruled against the District Council’s legal challenge to that decision. We now have to deal with the consequences of decisions made by others. The developers have a valid planning consent, and, to comply with our obligations as a charity, we had a legal duty to consider the developers’ proposal.
“In an ideal world we would not sell the land. None of this is of our making. We are a small charity with a big job to do."
Full story and reaction to this announcement in next week's Herald.
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