Residents of Wordsworth’s ‘loveliest’ Lake District village are furious over plans to turn restaurant into its first-ever kebab shop

A village in the Lake District, once described by Wordsworth as ‘the most beautiful place ever found by mankind’, is under siege by a kebab shop.

Residents of Grasmere, a former civil parish in Cumbria’s Westmorland and Furness district, are furious at plans to turn a restaurant into a Turkish takeaway.

Angry locals have complained to the council over a proposal to turn Goody Blakes on Stock Lane into Grasmere Kebab Shop, leading to the local authority refusing planning permission.

The restaurant’s owner, Shwan Khder, had originally sought approval to install a ‘hidden’ new chimney in the rear wall, along with smaller changes to make grilling easier.

In its response, Lakes Parish Council recommended rejection, stating that a kebab shop would ‘introduce a level of activity and operational intensity that is not compatible with the surrounding residential and sensitive village context’ and would ‘undermine the established character and function of this part of the village’.

The local authority also warned of additional noise pollution and vehicle congestion, saying the ‘peace’ of Grasmere could be disturbed.

But Mr Khder said he would oppose the decision to open Grasmere’s first kebab shop and run the venue as a restaurant in the meantime.

‘Customers will be able to walk in and out, but it won’t be takeaway,’ he promised.

The poet William Wordsworth once described the village as “the loveliest place ever found by man”; but residents now fear a takeaway could turn Grasmere into a ‘nightmare’

But residents are outraged by ‘terrible’ plans; One described the possibility of opening a kebab shop in the village as a ‘nightmare’, while another said the restaurant would be an ‘eyesore’.

However, while one of the locals states that he ‘believes in free enterprise’, another says ‘I will definitely try kebab once’.

The poet William Wordsworth once described Grasmere, where he lived and was buried, as ‘the most beautiful place ever found by mankind’.

But Mr Khder, 38, a British-Iranian Kurd, believes Wordsworth would be a customer if he were alive today.

he said Telegram: ‘There are no other takeaways in Grasmere and it is a very busy place, especially at this time of year.

‘If Wordsworth were alive today, of course [be one of my customers]. He needed energy and food, especially if it was fresh, homemade food like my kebabs. Everybody wanted one back then.’

The restaurant owner described the response from residents as ‘absolutely incredible’ and said he would ‘have to re-apply for a change of use to takeaway’.

Bookseller Julian Hyde, 59, described the prospect of a kebab shop opening in Grasmere as ‘appalling’ and suggested it could ‘push the quaint village down a path of destruction, with (the opening of) a fish and chip shop next to it and then encouraging a Tesco Express.

Picture: Goody Blakes on Stock Lane, where the proposed kebab shop will be developed

Plans have divided the community, with residents voicing their objections for and against takeaways

He also raised concerns about the environmental impact, saying takeaway litter could ‘get out of control’.

John Lowther, who owns crossword retailer Barney’s Newsbox and lives on a private road shared with Mr Khder’s restaurant, said a kebab shop in Grasmere would ‘be a nightmare’.

The 71-year-old man, who has been living in the village for more than 40 years, said that the takeaway service “does not suit this beautiful village at all” and added: “I would not go there because I am a vegan.”

His verdict was that Grasmere ‘didn’t need a kebab shop at all’.

Kyle Wyness, who owns the flat above the restaurant, complained to the Lake District National Park Authority that takeaway would be ‘an eyesore, completely out of line with the nature of the mostly residential area’.

Co-owner J Wynass wrote in a separate letter that it would ‘have a detrimental impact on our business and the value of the property’.

But barmaid Leah Sky voiced some residents’ support for the plans, saying there were no other open places in the village to eat dinner after her shift as she works late into the evening.

Art dealer Tim Hardy, 60, said: ‘I just believe in free enterprise’, adding that ‘everyone would be against it’ because residents like to keep Grasmere ‘as a museum’.

Paul Abbot, who runs a distillery in the village, said he would definitely try the kebab once.

The Daily Mail has approached the Lake District Council and the Lake District National Park for comment.