A SECOND bid to rebuild a three-storey house off Crediton High Street demolished without planning permission has been given the thumbs-up.

The Cott in Stanbury Court was levelled in February 2023. Khalid Khan of KR London Builders had bought it at auction in a “severely dilapidated condition”, so much so that it was “uninhabitable”, had been “deemed dangerous with structural issues throughout”, and had a pigeon infestation on the upper floors, planning documents say.

Mr Khan applied to reconstruct the end-of-terrace home last summer, but Mid Devon District Council refused him permission.

He had proposed to have white blockwork rendered walls and timber windows outside, and inside three bedrooms, a bathroom, bike storage behind the front door and bin storage under the ground floor stairs.

Mid Devon District Council said the plans 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” bin storage.

Mr Khan then applied again to rebuild The Cott in spring. This time, he proposed timber sliding sash windows, a lime rendered finish, a timber front door and heritage-style uPVC rainwater goods in a cast-iron effect.

Inside, he suggested a kitchen and living and dining space on the ground floor and two bedrooms, a bathroom and a study on the upper floors.

After some wrangling with the council, the plans were adjusted to include an inside lobby area to store waste and recycling.

Mid Devon District Council’s Conservation Officer Claire Sutton was less than impressed with the proposed design, and condemned the “mess” the site is in following the “unauthorised demolition”.

Crediton Town Council was firmly against the plans, saying the Cott should be rebuilt using the original materials. One member of the public also objected to the proposal.

Nevertheless, Mid Devon District Council approved the plans, saying they were “supportable in policy terms” and would “result in the reinstatement of a dwelling within a sustainable location with good access to services and facilities in the town centre”.

The local authority added the design was “acceptable” and “would preserve the significance of the conservation area and setting of nearby listed buildings”.

You can see the application on Mid Devon District Council’s website under reference 25/00548/FULL.

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