A BID to rebuild a three-storey house off Crediton High Street that was demolished without planning permission has been denied. 

The Cott in Stanbury Court was torn down in February 2023 as it was “uninhabitable”, “had been deemed dangerous with structural issues throughout” and had a pigeon infestation on the upper floors, planning documents say. 

Khalid Khan of KR London Builders had wanted to reinstate the end-of-terrace home “with modern and sustainable techniques”. 

Plans detailed an intention to “match the materials” of the former structure, such as painting the rendered walls white and having timber windows and a tiled roof. 

Inside, there would have been a kitchen, living and dining area and toilet downstairs, a bedroom and bathroom on the first floor, and two bedrooms on the second floor. 

But Mid Devon District Council’s Conservation Officer Claire Sutton questioned the need to demolish The Cott, which was done without planning permission.  

“The applicant states that the building was demolished due to 'being dilapidated' but does not state how this conclusion was reached,” she said. (Building control records show it was a dangerous structure). 

“Neighbour comments state that the roof was removed and not covered, enabling water to enter the building and render it unstable.  

“Pigeon infestations and structural decline only occur when the building is not maintained.  

“This clearly points to deliberate neglect.” 

Ms Sutton also pointed out the house was originally built from cob, and said she wanted to see timber sliding sash windows, brick used instead of render, a timber front door and cast-iron style rainwater goods. 

“[The applicant] states that they are 'aiming to match the materials to the existing building' yet a cob structure is not being proposed,” she continued. 

“The design proposed is a very standard rendered property of little character.  

“I see no reason why a structure of a greater scale should be permitted when the applicant has benefitted from their neglect of the traditional building.” 

The council’s public health service also took issue with the proposed layout of the new building, which included a bin under the stairs and bike storage at the bottom of the stairs behind the front door. 

“This proposal provides a very limited area for [the] kitchen, dining and lounge area as it is, with no room for storage,” a spokesperson said. 

“If waste is stored under the stairs, and bikes are stored at the bottom of the stairs, we would regard this as a health and safety issue in that the bikes will obstruct the bottom of the stairs, and refuse is likely to cause an odour issue in the living space.” 

Mid Devon District Council refused permission on grounds the development would have “resulted in harm to the character and appearance of the Crediton Conservation Area” due to the loss of the traditional building, that it would have failed to meet "nationally described space standards” and because there would have been “inadequate” refuse storage. 

You can see the application on the council’s website under reference 24/00085/FULL. 

To see more public notices and planning applications, visit: https://publicnoticeportal.uk/.