The Huddersfield University academic has authored books on the family as well as guiding tourists from all around the world along the Bronte Way.
“The Brontes are our biggest literary export after Shakespeare and Dickens. They’re loved all over the world,” Stewart said.
“What Bradford has got with the Bronte is completely unique. We should be doing all we can to protect and celebrate it – not obliterate it.”
The ruins of the Top Withens farmhouse, which is believed to have inspired the setting for Wuthering Heights. Credit:Shutterstock
Nearby properties include Wycoller Hall (Ferndean Manor in Jane Eyre), Haworth Parsonage, where the Bronte family lived, which is now the Bronte Museum, and Oakwell Hall (Fieldhead in Shirley).
Also affected will be the moors at Top Withins (Wuthering Heights), and the hills to the Spen Valley (Shirley country).
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Planning documents published by Bradford council say: “The Bronte Way, which is a draw for tourists and has high cultural significance, passes through the centre of this space. A sensitive site design which incorporates green infrastructure will be required to mitigate any impact on the Bronte Way, green infrastructure corridor and the wider landscape.”
Thornton is earmarked as one of the council’s “Local Growth Centres”, meaning it is expected to make a “a significant contribution” to meeting housing targets, the planning documents state.
In total 575 new homes are planned, including some on former green belt land, the plans reveal. A consultation closed at the end of last month.
Source: | This article originally belongs to smh.com.au
