SIDMOUTH town councillors have supported plans to carry out internal and some external alterations to the Grade Two listed Rock Cottage, Peak Hill Road.
SIDMOUTH town councillors have supported plans to carry out internal and some external alterations to the Grade Two listed Rock Cottage, Peak Hill Road.
Still awaiting a decision from East Devon District Council, Gareth Evans, new owner of the former bed and breakfast home, wants to rearrange part of the house to provide a larger kitchen/family room, re-roof the front entrance porch, rearrange the master bathroom and remove a shower room and toilet on the first floor and install an additional shower room on the second floor.
External work would involve rebuilding an outhouse and replace a corrugated plastic entrance porch roof with laminated glass.
Where a small modern conservatory has been built, the owners want to use a repeat of the original veranda to link the western end "more successfully" to the main house.
"From the plans, and knowing the building, I can't see anything wrong with this. I think it is a big improvement," said Councillor Mary Jolly.
"I think it is a great improvement on what was there before," said Councillor John Dyson, who said the new owner was restoring the building to a private house.
The present Rock Cottage is a Sampson design, built in 1908 and was listed in 1951. The National Trust sold the property to former owner Tom Griffiths in October 2007.
It holds restrictive covenants on the house and written approval of alterations has to be gained by EDDC from the charity.
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