Much Ado About Nothing? Fury at opening of ‘garish’ purple sweet shop named Gummieland in a Grade II listed building at birthplace of William Shakespeare Stratford-upon-Avon

• Gummieland branded a ‘monstrosity’ by residents when it opened before Easter
• Locals accused owners of ruining look of town’s High Street with purple frontage

Residents in Shakespeare’s home town Stratford-upon-Avon are furious after a ‘garish’ purple sweet shop opened on the historic High Street.

Gummieland, which is based next to the landmark Anne Hathaway Tearooms, was branded a ‘monstrosity’ by residents when it opened just before Easter.

Locals have accused the owners of ruining the look of the town’s High Street with its bright purple frontage decorated with multicoloured gummie bears and lettering.

They argue the store, located in a Grade II-listed building believed to be around 430-years-old, is not in keeping with the character of the rest of the area.

Trading standards and planning bosses have now launched an investigation into the shop to probe whether they had broken any guidelines.

Gummieland, which is based next to the landmark Anne Hathaway Tearooms, was branded a ‘monstrosity’ by residents when it opened just before Easter

Locals have accused the owners of ruining the look of the town’s High Street with its bright purple frontage decorated with multicoloured gummie bears and lettering

They argue the store, located in a Grade II-listed building believed to be around 430-years-old, is not in keeping with the character of the rest of the area

Owner Paul Ellis, who originally opened the store as Hariboland before changing it to Gummieland this week, was not available for comment on Thursday.

But local residents and tourists visiting the Tudor and Georgian building-lined streets of the Warwickshire town were quick to brand it as an ‘eyesore’.

Dad-of-one George Forrester, 64, who has lived in Stratford for 30 years, said: ‘I’m all for new businesses coming to the area but this is an absolute eyesore.

‘He’s already changed the shopfront from blue to purple but if anything it looks even worse now. It’s just a horrible garish blight on the high street.

‘Its not in keeping with the character of the area and sticks out like a sore thumb – it looks like it belongs in Benidorm not in Stratford-upon-Avon.

‘I’m amazed they have been allowed to get away with that monstrosity as there’s got to be some council regulations which stops this kind of thing.’

Kim Bryan, 31, and her partner Simon Cooke, 34, were visited the town from Rugby, Warwickshire, with their one-year-old daughter.

Hairdresser Kim said: ‘It does look rather odd next to all these other lovely old buildings. Perhaps they should tone it down a bit.

‘I can see why it would upset some people because it not very tasteful with loads of Haribo gummie bears plastered all over the front. Its a bit in your face.’

Dr Lindsay MacDonald, chairman of the Stratford Society, which campaigns to protect the heritage of the town, described the shopfront as ‘appalling’.

He told the Stratford Herald: ‘We had no warning of this despoiling of the shopfront, which is appalling.

Trading standards and planning bosses have now launched an investigation into the shop to probe whether they had broken any guidelines

But local residents and tourists visiting the Tudor and Georgian building-lined streets of the Warwickshire town were quick to brand it as an ‘eyesore’

Dr Lindsay MacDonald, chairman of the Stratford Society, which campaigns to protect the heritage of the town, described the shopfront as ‘appalling’

He added: ‘The shop was previously occupied by Roly’s Fudge Pantry, but at least it had a tasteful sign in keeping with the guidelines’ (pictured: current shopfront of Roly’s Fudge Pantry, which moved from the High Street to a new location in Stratford)

‘It goes against all sense of taste and good design, and is shockingly detrimental to the appearance of the High Street, especially in such a sensitive location opposite Harvard House.

‘The planning authority surely cannot have approved such a monstrosity.

‘This is a Grade II listed building, built after the town fires of 1594/5, which has a long and distinguished history in the heart of the town.

‘The shop was previously occupied by Roly’s Fudge Pantry, but at least it had a tasteful sign in keeping with the guidelines.

‘The Stratford Society will press urgently for the immediate removal of these awful graphics.’

However, other locals leapt to the defence of the shop on social media, with one person commenting: ‘At least it’s open for business and not boarded up!

‘People need to get a grip and stop moaning about trivial things.’

Another added: ‘At least it’s not vacant and dismal’ while a third added: ‘It’s a sweet shop, what do you expect**?’

Stratford District Council planning guidelines state shopfront and signage should not feature ‘colour, material and illumination’ deemed ‘harsh or aggressive’.

It reads: ‘Signs should remain secondary to any individual building and help to maintain the character and rhythm of the building and the street frontage.

‘Signs should not clutter or dominate the facade of a building nor, by extension, the entire street frontage.

‘The colour, material and illumination of signs should be subdued and not harsh or aggressive.

‘Harsh and shiny or reflective surfaces such as many acrylics and plastics and chrome should be avoided as should bright and garish colours.

‘Ill-considered and overly intrusive designs can have a very detrimental effect.

‘The aim should therefore be for new shopfronts and signage to enhance buildings and townscapes and improve on the previous shopfront or signage that it is replacing.’

A spokesperson for Stratford District Council said: ‘We’ve got a current enforcement case ongoing – so we’re unable to make any comment on a live case at the moment.’

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