HOW a Grade II listed cob and thatch cottage has been allowed to fall into great disrepair has been queried by parish councillors for a long time. 

Now someone who knows the cottage from when it was lived in and loved, fears it could collapse before very long and is adding her voice to that of Crediton Hamlets Parish Council. 

She says she has made sure that Mid Devon District Council’s CEO, Stephen Walford, is aware of Bell Cottage at Woodland Head but says: “As always, we get fobbed off and nothing ever seems to happen.”

Sally Everton was born and brought up at Woodland Head, moving back in 2004 with her family.  Therefore she feels qualified to “make a noise about the despicable state” the cottage is in.

She says this “sorry story” began in 2007, neglect was very noticeable then. 

In 2021 she had written to Derek Coren, then district councillor for the area, adding her name to those who had been tackling Derek for some years to see if he could achieve any result.

In April, Sally was told that the district council had approved urgent works to the cottage in August 2022, since when, she was told, background work has progressed “to a degree” with site visits made - but that the complete process would take time.  A schedule of work would be needed and a contractor appointed.

She was given assurance that the district council was active on the issue but it could take some time to resolve fully. 

People are getting impatient, seeing the cottage become such an eyesore and a liability.

Sally’s comment is: “Here we are three years on from when we first started to push this and I and a number of other Woodland Head residents, feel that is plenty long enough.” 

She added that the only thing holding the front porch up was the weeds.  She said that there was “rumblings” among the community to get the media involved such as BBC and ITV.

The district council had said it was having difficulty contacting the owner and to try to get right of access.