Unlawful Stratford pub could be torn down in six months
AN enforcement notice has been issued to a hotel owner giving him six months to demolish a pub which was built without planning permission.
New information published by Stratford District Council this week shows the notice was served on the Burnside Hotel, in Shottery, on 12th August.
The notice relates to the Cask N Tandoor pub, which was built to the side of the hotel and has been serving punters – with a licence – since last year.
The notice informs the owner Rakesh Singh, 57, that he must demolish the single-storey pub and remove all the materials within six months. It also demands the removal of the pub’s outdoor patio/seating area and a gabion wall structure – with eight months allowed to carry out the work.
As with all enforcement notices, it is subject to appeal.
The Herald reported last month that Mr Singh was going to make another attempt to get retrospective approval for the development. A previous retrospective planning application was rejected by Stratford District Council last December.
Raj Manhas, the general manager of the Burnside Hotel, said the new application would aim to deal with the reasons given by the council for refusal last time. These included environmental, ecological and heritage issues.
SDC had originally granted Mr Singh planning permission for a new building to replace a timber shed that would feature two new en-suite bedrooms and a plant room, but instead he opened the Cask N Tandoor pub, a structure twice the size of what he had permission for.
It caused outrage among nearby neighbours, including the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust which said the new building intrudes onto its land.
The enforcement notice states that it will take effect on 23rd September unless an appeal is made.
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 setting” of Shottery.