With its honey-coloured stone cottages, red telephone box and Victorian church, it’s not hard to see why the picturesque Cotswold village of Snowshill was chosen for a setting of Bridget Jones’s Diary.
Although the village near Tewkesbury did not feel the immediate impact from the film’s release in 2001 – the community closed due to foot and mouth disease outbreak – it certainly is today, with it being a popular stop on tour trips from London.
Now, in a bid to preserve the charm of the 165-population village, which features a National Trust manor, council chiefs have laid down strict planning rules to stop people making out-of-character altercations to their homes.
The Article 4 Direction means some work that usually wouldn’t require planning permission will now need formal approval from Tewkesbury Borough Council.
This includes painting houses a different colour, installing solar panels, putting up gates and fences, and installing patios in gardens.
The move was rubberstamped by borough councillors last week and came after a six-week consultation in the village, where the average price of properties sold last year was £504,000.
“Snowshill is one of the jewels of our borough, and these powers will help to protect its heritage, while still allowing thoughtful and appropriate development,” said councillor Sarah Hands, who oversees planning at the council.
“We’re grateful to everyone who took part in the consultation and helped shape this decision.”
Snowshill is part of the Cotswold Area of outstanding Natural Beauty, and many of its 50 homes are listed.
At its centre is the 1864-built St Barnabas Church, with a walled cemetery and telephone box outside. The village also features Snowshill Manor, a 16th Century country house once lived in by the architect Charles Paget.
But perhaps its biggest claim to fame are the scenes in Bridget Jones’s Diary, which starred Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant. Filming took place in a house that featured as the home of Bridget’s parents, where she visited for Christmas.
Shots were also taken of the village green.
Cherly Agg, a Tewkesbury councillor whose ward includes Snowshill, told The Independent the character and views surrounding it made the village one of the most iconic in the Cotswolds.
On the rules being introduced, she said: “It is not unusual to have this type of condition, particularly when you have a National Trust building in the community. The consultation saw a very positive response, I’m not aware of any opposition.
“It’s a beautiful village, and I think everyone wants to keep it that way.”
