World Shakespeare Centre proposed as part of £20m bid

Henley Street, the site of Shakespeare's Birthplace, was deserted during the first lockdown in 2020

A new Shakespeare museum could be built in Stratford-upon-Avon after the council made a £20m bid for funding.

Stratford-on-Avon District Council said the money was needed to revitalise the town, which had been hit hard by the loss of tourists during the pandemic.

Houses, offices and shops would also be built on the site, at the junction of Arden Street and Birmingham Road.

The bid has been submitted to the government's levelling up fund, which would be used towards the project.

The local authority is working with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust on the plans for the centre, which would also house "learning and community facilities".

It said the project was still at concept stage and no plans for the centre had been drawn up yet, but talks with the private landowners who own the Gateway site had been ongoing for a number of years.

The leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Tony Jefferson, said: "The opportunities presented are very significant in scale and ambition and the work done to date indicates the immense potential of the project."

Stratford-upon-Avon District Council wants to develop an area of land to the north of the town centre known as the Gateway

The council hopes to hear in the autumn if it has been granted the money and if successful, it will use the money to buy the land and draw up plans for the development, including the Shakespeare centre.

'Epicentre of Shakespeare'

It was estimated the town, which depends heavily on tourism, lost half its income in 2020 because of coronavirus lockdowns.

Mr Jefferson said: "Stratford-upon-Avon was the fourth hardest hit economy within the UK, so we are exploring options to bring investment to Stratford, regenerate our town and economy for the benefit of our residents and businesses."

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More than six million tourists visit Stratford-upon-Avon every year to see William Shakespeare's birthplace and to visit attractions such as the Shakespeare Centre, Anne Hathaway's cottage and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Tim Cooke, chief executive of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, said if the bid was successful it would "reinforce Stratford-upon-Avon's position as the epicentre of the Shakespearian experience".