Thaindian News

London, Mar 11 (ANI): Plans to build 3,700 homes in the picturesque village in Britain where American poet T.S. Eliot was buried have been objected to by the locals and others.

With plans for thousands of new homes, the rural community of East Coker, where Eliot was laid to rest, could change beyond all recognition.

And in a transatlantic alliance, a U.S. group dedicated to the Nobel-prize winner joined the West Country villagers to fight the proposals.

Eliot visited East Coker, near Yeovil, Somerset, in 1937, almost 270 years after his ancestor Andrew Eliot had left there for the U.S.

The ‘Waste Land’ writer, who settled in England, famously revelled in the quiet of the village. And in tribute to his ancestry, his ashes are buried in the parish church.

David Chinitz, president of the U.S. based T.S. Eliot Society, insists South Somerset District Council must drop the proposals to build 3,700 homes on the edge of the village.

“The Eliot connections and the unspoiled quality of this rural village make East Coker a frequent destination for those of us who appreciate Eliot’s work,” the Daily Mail quoted him as saying.

“Like Eliot himself we value the village deeply as a landmark and a refuge,” he stated.

South Somerset District Council listed the plans as part of a consultation on development in the area over the next 15 years.

Marcus Fysh, founder of the East Coker Preservation Trust, says an independent review of the council strategy has revealed major flaws.

And in December English Heritage also raised “major concerns” about the destruction of historic sites and buildings.

“We know there are issues with all of the possible directions for growth,” a council spokesman said.

Adding: “We absolutely acknowledge their concerns and we will (and have to) look at each and every one of the comments that we have received.” (ANI)