‘I live in a beautiful Bridget Jones Midlands village but have to follow costly planning rules to erect a fence’

Locals in a Midlands village which featured in 'Bridget Jones's Diary' have slammed strict new planning rules - which mean they'd need council permission for a patio.

Snowshill in the Cotswolds appeared in the 2001 film where its green and a local house featured as the home of Bridget's parents.

As of this week, the 'jewel of the Cotswolds' will come under an Article 4 Direction by Tewkesbury Borough Council - strict laws and rules to protect its heritage.

It means virtually any work or alterations to buildings must be cleared by the authority - such as putting in patios or changing the colour of an exterior wall. That includes replacing exterior windows and doors, constructing porches, installing roof lights or changing roofing materials, creating or replacing hard surfaces in gardens. Locals will also need a green light to erect gates, fences, or walls, paint the exterior of buildings a new colour or installing or altering antennae or solar panels.

Some people complained that the new rules are too costly and restrictive - while others say they have come in too late.

Rose, in her 40s, who moved to Snowshill four years ago with her family is against the plans, saying they are "too controlling".

She said: "I did write an objection but it has gone through anyway. It is very prohibitive in terms of what you can do to your home.”

She said when they bought the property it was derelict so they had to do it up to be "habitable".

"It has been a very painful process. If now we want to do a fence it feels like we have already climbed a hill."

For Rose, the bigger problem is the level of tourism who "cross the line".

She said: "Tourism is changing the character of the village, not the house changes. Preserving the village for tourists is not the best logic."

Local Kim who has been in the village for 40 years has mixed views on the regulations.

She questioned the effectiveness of the plans, asking: "How are they going to regulate it? Unless somebody complains."

She said: "If you have got young children and if something happens to your fence why do you have to go through planning when all you want is to keep your child and the people around you safe. You can't change your front door, but what if it is damaged? It costs you more to put planning in on Article 4 than a planning application.

“I can see that people want to keep it a Cotswolds village but you've got to have a balance, but I think people will do whatever they want to their houses."

But Sheila Wilks, 85 and her husband Peter Wilks, 84, believe the plans are positive, but say the village has already been 'ruined' by holiday lets.

Mrs Wilks said: "They have come too late. They have ruined the village. I have been here all my life 80 years and I just think people abused it. I hate change and I think we should preserve what we've got. Because we are in such a beautiful place people should keep it like this."

Their cottage was the old village shop where Sheila, her mum and siblings were born. In 1965 they bought the house and haven't left ever since.

But house remodulations are not the only issue the couple faces - following movies such as Bridget Jones, the couple said the landscape "has changed" and so they want "preserve" the village.

Mr Wilks said: "Most of the houses here are Airbnbs. It is disgusting. There are at least 12 Airbnbs in the village. We get about four mini buses a day. They do tend to block the roads occasionally. It was all working class people but now it doesn't seem to be that way at all. It does break up communities".

Paul, 66, and Sue Brereton, 66, who have been in their cottage for eight years agreed to the implementation of the regulations.

Mr Brereton said: "It is a very good idea and we wished it had come five years ago. A lot of metal windows have been changed to plastic windows.”  

The couple who live in a listed building said the new regulations end up being "more restrictive" than the listing regulations.

Paul said: "I can't repaint the windows charcoal grey which I was planning to because I will need planning regulation which is quite expensive."

Terry, 71, and Pauline Rolls, 71, moved to their property four years ago. They said what is important is to keep the character of the village alive.

Mr Rolls said: "We don't want the village wrecked with plastic windows. What we want is as little damage as possible. There are a few that have been damaged. People doing what they want to their home is not necessarily a good thing. It is all about keeping the character of the village."

Mr Rolls joked about how the regulations can stop people from painting their windows and doors pink.

He said: "We could end up with Disneyland. It is not a NIMBY reaction but we need to keep some originality in this country."

He said that it is important to keep these houses 'the way they are' for the future generations.

Tewkesbury Borough Council - lead member for planning and place making

Councillor Sarah Hands, lead member for planning and place making at the borough council, said: “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. We’re grateful to everyone who took part in the consultation and helped shape this decision.”

From Wednesday applications will be put through the usual planning process, including advertisement and consultation and standard fees will apply. The Article 4 Direction decision was made at a Full Council meeting on July 29 2025 after a consultation period.