A plague o' ALL your houses! Furious villagers say the childhood home of William Shakespeare's mum - Mary Arden's Farm - will be swamped by new town of 6,000 homes

Published: 02:09, 6 April 2026 | Updated: 02:15, 6 April 2026 More than 400 years after his death, a huge new town of 6,700 homes is set to be built by the farm where William Shakespeare's mother grew up.  Furious residents living near Mary Arden's Farm say the celebrated playwright would be turning in his grave at the sprawling development which would swamp the famous Grade I-listed property where his mother spent her life. For the hitherto tranquil village of Wilmcote is being lined up to receive a brand-new  community that would create an urban sprawl across stretches of the Stratford-upon-Avon district - an area which has become a magnet for developers. Developers want to build across some 329 hectares of green belt land - the size of some 460 football pitches - and include more than 6,700 homes between Wilmcote and Bearley for 16,000 people. Residents are livid, claiming the housing and people would shatter their rural peace, obliterate wildlife, cripple local infrastructure and swamp already overstretched public services. One of those is Diana Dobson, a volunteer railway worker for the Friends of the Shakespeare Line who has lived just 100 yards away from Mary Arden's Farm for the past 35 years. Diana, 77, told the Daily Mail this week: 'We made a choice to live in the countryside and now we face being covered in concrete. 'It's the sheer number of them - we simply don't need 10,000 homes around here and the infrastructure cannot support it. New homes seen being built close to the Grade 1-listed farm; furious residents living near Mary Arden's Farm say Shakespeare would be turning in his grave at the sprawling development Mary Arden's Farm where Shakespeare's mother grew up. A huge new town of 6,700 homes is set to be built which will dwarf the historic landmark  Wilmcote village showing Mary Arden's Farm. More than 6,700 homes are to be built between Wilmcote and Bearley for 16,000 people, while four more primary schools are also needed 'We live in an area of historical interest within a conversation area and I don't understand how they can justify this number of homes on green belt land. 'Warwick Hospital has already declared critical incidents - it is full to capacity, as are Stratford's schools and you can also not get a dentist appointment. 'There is also the issue of flooding, some new houses built on the south side of the town is already suffering from the problem. 'I know someone who works in flooding for a various agency I won't name who said he had done a survey and the results of these houses being built would be, in his words, catastrophic. 'Then there's all the wildlife that would disappear as their habitats are destroyed. There are far more suitable places which have the infrastructure in place where these homes could be built. 'We only have two buses a day, our train station is only small with no waiting room or staff and no parking. The A46 would also not cope with the increased traffic. ' A 2024 study found Stratford-upon-Avon had the highest number of new homes built over the preceding three years in relation to its population. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) said the ongoing developments in the area was 'very sad and not necessary'. Chair of Wilmcote Parish Council Janine Lee, said: 'We are not against sustainable development - but this is not sustainable. Ten thousand homes is a new town - not a settlement. 'One of the main roads into Stratford is the A3400 and either side of this green gateway near to two villages they want to put in 10,000 homes. 'You are looking at double or triple the traffic levels on what can be an already very busy road - it would be a ridiculous route. Residents of the area surrounding Stratford-Upon-Avon close to where William Shakespeare was born are livid, claiming the housing and people would shatter their rural peace 'Stratford is world-renowned and this is a place where tourists come, it is not just a market town, people visit from all over the world. 'And they come to Wilmcote to visit Mary Arden's Farm, which is a heritage property and that and its surrounding areas need to be protected. 'Any development would harm its appeal and also the pollution from passing cars will cause damage to such an old timber-framed building and erode the structure. 'There are more suitable and affordable locations which are not on green-belt land or near to several Grade I-listed buildings or heritage properties. 'These are developer-led options which do not have the best interests of the town or district at its heart. 'They should exhaust all other options before building on green-belt land - and that has not happened in this case. 'One of the developers specialises in executive homes, so they will not be for local people or young people - but for people from Birmingham and Solihull who want to move to the countryside. It is desire rather than need. 'It will urbanise Stratford and ironically turn it into the sort of more built-up areas people will be moving from. 'If approved, it will choke our roads, overwhelm local services, and permanently change the character of Stratford itself as well as our villages.' Another local resident dad-of-four Terry Cundy, 58, said: 'We are already pretty much the UK's capital of newbuild developments and now they want to destroy our countryside and cultural assets. It's absolutely outrageous and we won't stand for it. 'They are just trying to make a fast and easy buck without having any consideration for the people who live here. We already have loads of tourists and we would not be able to deal with the extra footfall. 'Any peace will be shattered and we are now looking to move away from an area we have loved and called home for many years.' Your browser does not support iframes. Stratford District Council is currently trying to maintain a five-year supply of land for housing in line with government requirements as it bids to provide 1.5 million new homes. Lib Dem Councillor George Cowcher, deputy leader of Stratford District Council and its portfolio holder for planning and economic development, told his local newspaper the Stratford Herald: 'We're working as hard as we possibly can. 'And there are some very difficult decisions to be taken as the year goes on because we're not masters in our own house. He said the council thought it had a five-year land supply until the Government suddenly 'moved the goalposts' by disallowing the inclusion in the supply of homes already built or granted planning permission. It also doubled the number of houses it required to be built in the Stratford district from 500-odd a year to over 1,000 a year. He added: 'To re-establish our five-year land supply will mean granting permission for more houses, and in some cases they will be very difficult decisions. 'We need to maintain our statutory duty to provide a five-year land supply.' The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which runs Mary Arden's Farmhouse, did not respond to requests for comment. Stratford District Council is currently trying to maintain a five-year supply of land for housing in line with government requirements as it bids to provide 1.5 million new homes New builds under construction in the area. A 2024 study found Stratford-upon-Avon had the highest number of new homes built over the preceding three years in relation to its population Local resident Diana Dobson, 77, told the Daily Mail this week: 'We made a choice to live in the countryside and now we face being covered in concrete. It's the sheer number of them - we simply don't need 10,000 homes around here and the infrastructure cannot support it' Angry residents have put up signs making their opposition to the new homes known  A Stratford-on-Avon District Council spokesman said: 'Stratford-on-Avon District Council endorsed a comprehensive action plan aimed at restoring its five-year housing land supply in October 2025. 'This followed changes to the national planning policy Framework by government. The action plan currently sets out around 5,600 planning applications for houses across the district. 'However, this number is constantly monitored by the district council at regular housing delivery advisory group meetings. 'This situation is cross-cutting and involves various service areas within the district council, as well as partners. 'Officers have been working hard to deliver solutions, and new staff have been recruited to ensure this is addressed. 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