Angry residents slam Robert De Niro’s Nobu over ‘wholly inappropriate’ plans to build rural retreat with 82 lodges

ROBERT De Niro’s firm has angered locals with “wholly inappropriate” plans to build a sweeping rural retreat next to their village. Luxury lifestyle, restaurant and hotel group Nobu – co-owned by the Hollywood legend – plans to plant 82 lodges across an 185-acre estate in Woolfox, in England‘s smallest county Rutland. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Hollywood actor Robert De Niro is co-owner of restaurant and hotel enterprise Nobu Credit: AFP or licensors The retreat would consist of 82 lodges in Woolfox Credit: Woolfox The development would see a golf course and driving range on the site, near Stamford, which sits across the border in Lincolnshire, demolished. The retreat will be run as a partnership with the existing high-end Woolfox members’ club there. However, residents have slammed the plans, warning about the prospect of increased traffic and noise. One objector said the retreat would “dwarf” the nearby village, adding: “I consider this huge housing development, masquerading as ‘hotel and holiday lodges’, to be wholly inappropriate to our small, rural community.” Another local argued the development would risk making the area too busy – while a third pointed out the surrounding fields are used for game shooting, which could put guests in harm’s way. One local said: “What makes anyone think that significant numbers of people from further afield will want to come and stay at this often very windy and quite noisy location right next to the A1, especially during the cold winter months?” Concerns have also been raised about the proposed development being potentially too close to the Battle of Empingham – also known as the Battle of Losecoat Field, fought during the Wars of the Roses. And archaeologists have suggested the estate may include buried remains dating back to the Iron Age and medieval periods, as well as the famous battle itself. Most read in The Sun Nobu founders De Niro, chef Nobu Matsuhisa, and Meir Teper Credit: Getty De Niro persuaded Nobu to open multiple restaurants in 1994 Credit: Getty – Contributor Developers have also been told to undertake further bat, bird, reptile and badger surveys to ensure they’re protected. De Niro co-founded the company after visiting chef Nobuyuki ‘Nobu’ Matsuhisa’s LA restaurant which specialises in Japanese-Peruvian fusion cuisine. The Goodfellas and Raging Bull actor, 82, convinced his pal to open a second restaurant in New York in 1994 – with Nobu now boasting a major empire across the US, Europe, Asia and Africa. It already owns two restaurants and a hotel in the UK, but the proposed development would be England’s first of its rural retreats. Construction began on a 76-storey Nobu skyscraper in Manchester earlier this year – poised to be Britain’s tallest residential tower. A Nobu spokesman told the Daily Telegraph: “Nobu remains focused on working constructively with Woolfox, the council and the local community to progress the Nobu Woolfox proposals.” The site already has permission for 60 homes – however, it is unclear whether work on these would go ahead if the current proposals are quashed. The spokesperson added: “Our priority is the current application, so we would not want to get ahead of that process by commenting on other scenarios.” The Sun has contacted Nobu for further comment. Comment now