Historic village made famous by Bridget Jones locked in row over strict planning rules to stop it from looking ‘flashy’
A HISTORIC village made famous by Bridget Jones has been locked in a bitter row over strict planning rules.
Locals in Snowshill, Gloucestershire, which appeared in the 2001 film, ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’, have been left divided over the rules.
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The Cotswold village appeared in the much-loved classic as the home of Bridget’s parents, played by Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones, and it is often called “the jewel of the Cotswolds”.
But now, planning rules mean real-life residents must seek permission if they want to paint their front door a new colour, erect a gate or lay a patio.
Tewkesbury Borough Council has put Snowshill under an Article 4 Direction.
The change has been made by the council to preserve the picturesque village’s “exceptional historic character”.
As a result, any work or alterations to the buildings will have to be cleared by the authority.
Alterations include, putting in a patio, changing the colour of an outside wall, installing roof lights or replacing exterior windows and doors.
But the new rules have left residents who call the picturesque village home divided.
Some supporters reckon the rules will stop the slow creep of white plastic windows and modern black doors from ruining the honey-stone cottages and old leaded windows that bring in coachloads of selfie-snapping tourists.
But others reckon it’s all got a bit too much and claim a small group are using the red tape to control what others do with their homes.
Meanwhile, concerns were raised the measures could place “undue burdens on property owners” carrying out routine maintenance.
One newer resident, who asked not to be named, told The Times that the new rules are “way too strict”.
They claimed they have had several spats with neighbours while fixing up their crumbling cottage over the past ten years.
The resident told the outlet: “It’s just a small group pushing for this, but they’re the ones being heard.
“Our house was falling apart when we bought it — we’ve poured our heart, soul and savings into making it liveable.
“Now if we want to put up a simple fence or a greenhouse, it feels like climbing Everest. We love it here, but it really does make you think twice.”
But other residents had an opposing point of view.
Long-time resident Sheila Wilkes told The Times: “Everybody wants to build bigger these days — all the little country cottages are being replaced with flashy big houses.
“I’ve lived here forever and I hate change — the houses are beautiful as they are. They don’t need tarting up.”
And Grant Brooker, 64, a retired architect who is restoring a 17th-century house, said the rules would stop people using cheaper materials which devalue properties and damage the character of the village.
Snowshill, part of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, is known for its historic buildings.
According to the council, the “majority” of buildings in the village are not listed and are “at risk” from changes that could have a “significantly harmful effect”.
Councillor Sarah Hands, from Tewkesbury Borough Council, said: “If you want to paint your door in the same or a similar colour – no one’s stopping you from doing that – [but] a different colour, would have to be put in as a planning application.”
Ms Hands added: “Changing a window here, changing a door there – you think it isn’t making much difference.
“But accumulatively over the village, if everyone started making these changes, those things that make it a beautiful, unique, preserved village would start to chip away.”
It comes after residents in another village said strict rules mean they all have to paint their doors the same colour.
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