Defiant boss of ‘unlawful’ Indian pub constructed subsequent door to historic thatched residence of Shakespeare’s spouse hits again at ‘jealous’ neighbours and says it’s going to NOT be demolished
A defiant former Indian army officer who is fighting to save his illegally built gastro pub from demolition, which serves up ‘sizzling tandoori dishes’ and street flood near a Shakespeare heritage site, has vowed: ‘It will remain standing!’
Wealthy hotel and property owner Rakesh Singh is facing a battle over his ‘gaudy’ newly-opened ‘The Cask N Tandoor’ within a stone’s throw of the childhood home of William Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway without alleged planning permission.
As a war of words continues between the father-of-two, aged 56 – an ex cavalry officer and son of an army major – the historic trust, planners and objecting locals, he has made it clear through a colleague speaking to MailOnline that he has ‘done nothing wrong.’
His business, a pub beside a picturesque brook and within the grounds of his four star £265-a-night Burnside Hotel in the affluent village of Shottery, near Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, is under scrutiny after he built it without the required chance of use permission.
His hotel manager Minty Manhas claims the planning issue has ‘been blown out of all proportion’ and insisted the popular pub would not be knocked down.
Speaking from the hotel’s cosy lounge, she said: ‘My boss Mr Singh has no intention of demolishing the pub, why would he?
‘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?’
She also suggested that the controversy had been triggered by racism, saying: ‘Brown skin and black skin may not sit well in this very white, middle-class village.
Rakesh Singh is facing a battle over his ‘gaudy’ newly-opened ‘The Cask N Tandoor’ within a stone’s throw of the childhood home of William Shakespeare’s wife Anne Hathaway in Warwickshire
Aerial views of the site of Indian gastro pub The Cask N Tandoor which was illegally built in Shottery, Warwickshire
Local critics have said the pub ‘does not respect the amenity of the surrounding properties, including Anne Hathaway’s Cottage’ (pictured)
Hotel and property owner Rakesh Singh (pictured) who has vowed to keep the pub open despite fury from locals and historians
‘I wouldn’t like to say racism definitely plays a part in this planning dispute but some people may hate Mr Singh because of his success.
‘He owns the lovely stone cottage next door to the hotel and restaurant, which is a holiday let, and he owns a lot of the properties on the street, Church Lane.
‘Some locals are ever moaning that the street could soon be re-named Singh Lane because of all the houses he owns.
‘Maybe it is jealousy that one individual has done so well but he deserves it, and he works eight days a week.’
She added: ‘That is what we are up against. Mr Singh has done nothing nothing wrong and any matter that is controversial with the Trust the neighbours, the council is being addressed.’
She has also hit out at the Trust for ‘trying to cash in’ on her boss, saying: ‘They want more and more money from him.’
Inviting MailOnline into the gastro pub and hotel, which advertised on a board outside: ‘Curry Night, three courses £24.95’, the manager explained how there had been a mix up over planning rules which was now being sorted out and complied since a furore erupted after Stratford-upon-Avon District Council stated the pub failed to ‘enhance the character’ of the quintessential English village.
But the publicity, she stated, had been a welcoming boost, saying ‘More locals have come to have a look, they’ve had a meal and they’ve loved it.’
Hard working Mr Singh, a devoted married family man, was enjoying some rare festive time off, as Ms Manhas described the planning row in which her boss faces potential legal action from The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.
They complain the eaterie, which included an outdoor dining terrace, intrudes over their land which is situated in a a protected Conservation area.
The restaurant, which opened in March is less than 700ft from the Grade II-listed cottage, where famous playwright’s wife was born in 1556.
The Trust stated that Mr Singh’s retrospective planning, submitted in August, ‘does not respect the character of the conservation area’ and was ‘yet another attempt’ by the owner, who has applied multiple times to change buildings in the hotel grounds, to ‘overdevelop’ the site.
Locals have also rallied against the development, which they say has destroyed wildlife in the pretty village’s brook and is causing a light and noise nuisance, with ‘football matches blaring’ late at night.
Pictured the gastro pub inside the grounds of Mr Singh’s four-star Burnside Hotel in the village of Shottery, Warwickshire
Anne Hathaway’s childhood cottage which is managed by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
Hotel manager Minty Manhas suggested that the backlash could be due to ‘jealous’ locals. Pictured, former cavalry officer Mr Singh when he was in the Indian army
Locals have rallied against the development, which they say has destroyed wildlife in the pretty Shottery brook, and is causing a light and noise nuisance
It emerged this week that Mr Singh could now be forced to demolish the pub after councillors voted to reject the retrospective application.
In a damning decision in mid December they agreed the pub failed to ‘enhance the character’ of the area and was causing ‘harm’ to the historic 500-year-old cottage next door.
Some residents accuse the business boss of ‘brazen disregard of planning laws and a casual disrespect for wildlife.’
But Ms Manhas, proudly showing a MailOnline team around the pub this week, said: ‘He had bought the very derelict property, locals used to call the ‘haunted house’ because it was so grim and invisible for more than £1million in 2016.
‘Earlier this year he wanted to turn the run down garages into two extra rooms for guests and then a pub-restaurant to cater for out demands.
She revealed: ‘The biggest players against us are the Trust. We have 25 rooms at our hotel, with 50 plus guests at times, and we have a very small bar. Guests encouraged us to have another space to eat and drink so we heard them and developed a bar.
‘The majority of locals are with us, some are against us, but we have addressed any issues, and claims of damage to the brook during development.’
Ms Manhas said her boss would ‘refused to knock the new pub down’ and in ‘the worst case scenario’ would turn it back onto two rooms which had been granted planning permission.’
She said Mr Singh had ‘more and more properties and was expanding which the Trust does not like.
‘She continued: ‘Brown skin and black skin may not sit well in this very white, middle-class village.
‘I wouldn’t like to say racism definitely plays a part in this planning dispute but some people may hate Mr Singh because of his success.
‘We are among the top three hotels in the Stratford area and we are the only family-owned one, not in a chain.
Carer Gill Davies said: ‘Without sounding racist, I feel this this new place is in the wrong place and out of keeping’
Pictured: The bar area inside the Cask n Tandoor just a stone’s throw from Anne Hathway’s historic thatched cottage
Pictured: Inside the Cask N Tandoor which locals have slammed as ‘very loud’
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which manages Anne Hathaway’s cottage, complained the large building was intruding onto their land which is a protected Conservation Area (pictured: The Burnside Hotel with the Cask N Tandoor in background)
‘If people opposing us don’t like brown faces, make sure the authorities close down everyone, each business and Indian restaurant in the very English Shottery area.’
She added: ‘Our hotel architect has advised that retrospective planning permission is now being sought, and re-submitted, to address areas of concern, including flood risk and bat risk.’
Locals have mixed reaction about the controversial pub.
Carer Gill Davies said: ‘Without sounding racist, I feel this this new place is in the wrong place and out of keeping.
‘It is a very close-knit village with the Shakespeare story and the The Bells pub at its heart.
‘We should be supporting them, who have been around for ages, and not a new Indian pub up the road.
Bob Sage, from Stratford and running past the pub, said:: ‘I really don’t know if it is in the right place, I think not, but I am divided.
‘It is building up a conservation area but if permission is granted I’d back it because it if a nee pub serving different food.’
Resident Eddie Schofield, boss of a soft furnishings business, said: ‘I would be very surprised if he would knock it down and why should he. What wrong is he doing?
‘Concerns raised about the brook being damaged and the pub being too garish are bit of a problem to some but not all.
‘I’m a businessman and good luck to him.’
A young woman resident, out walking her dog, said: ‘As a local resident, I think we should back the year-long local projects – the heritage cafe, the local pub, they need our support.
‘It is a weird location for an Indian pub to be located, and a bit naughty of the owner to do this on our doorstep.’
Pictured: The menu of ‘The Cask n Tandoor’ which includes ‘pub classics’
Resident Eddie Schofield said: ‘I would be very surprised if he would knock it down and why should he. What wrong is he doing?’
Plans which which granted Mr Singh permission to replace a shed with two extra en suite bedrooms
Plans from refused application which Mr Singh submitted to build a bar/lounge and plant room
The local, who declined to be named, added: ‘We need to support the locals who have been around for along time the Shakespeare cafe that sadly had to close through lockdown, has struggled since but has re-opened, and not some newbie coming in.’
Staff at the cafe, directly opposite the much visited tourist site of Anne Hathaway cottage, said they were ‘unable to discuss any planning dispute.’
One resident said: ‘It’s been very upsetting to watch the destruction of nature with all this building debris appearing in the brook.
‘Quite simply the building should be torn down.
‘During the summer we could hear the football blaring out across the woodland from the pub. Mr Singh continues to ignore the fact that it’s a conservation area.
‘I hope the district council do the right thing and enforce the demolition of this gaudy monstrosity.’
Another resident in Church Lane, where average property prices top £500,000, said: ‘This is simply not the appropriate place to have a loud sports bar and Indian restaurant.
‘Thousands of tourists visit Anne Hathaway’s cottage every year and shouldn’t be exposed to this kind of establishment.
‘I just hope the council throw the book at him [Mr Singh], otherwise other landowners may feel emboldened to ride rough shod over the planning rules too.’
Mr Singh, who plans to appeal, originally got planning permission to replace a timber shed with two extra en-suite bedrooms for the hotel and a plant room in December 2020.
But he ran into trouble when he doubled the size of the development, with the addition of the gastro pub and large outdoor wooden terrace earlier this year.
A spokesperson for the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust said: ‘The works have overdeveloped the site in contravention of local planning policy, the existing restrictive covenant and does not respect the amenity of the surrounding properties, including Anne Hathaway’s Cottage.’
Stansgate Planning, working on behalf of Mr Singh, said: ‘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.’
