Glastonbury councillors have backed plans to bulldoze St Dunstan's Cottage and turn the site into extra car parking after being told the property is "beyond economical repair".

The decision was taken at a full town council meeting after members heard the building, in the top corner of the car park, could cost well over £100,000 to bring back into lawful use.

Town clerk Conor Ogilvie-Davidson told the council the cottage was last occupied until 9 May 2023 and had been left in an "uninhabitable state".

He told councillors: "It's therefore conservatively estimated that renovations and improvement would cost well in excess of £100,000."

By contrast, members heard demolition and conversion of the site could create an estimated nine parking spaces, bringing in about £20,000 a year.

Mr Ogilvie-Davidson said that meant "a roughly two to maybe three-year repayment period".

Councillor Rik Cook warned there was anger over the proposal. He told the meeting: "There's a lot of very unhappy people."

He also argued the building's future had not been properly tested, saying: "I am concerned that this is a bit of a rush job."

advertisement

But others said the condition report left little room for sentiment.

Councillor Steve Henderson pushed back on calls to save the cottage, telling the chamber: "If you read the report of the condition of the place, you'd realize that to try and renovate it would just be a lost leader."

He added: "The figures speak for themselves."

Councillor Paul Manning said the loss of any home in a town facing a housing shortage was painful, but argued the site could still help deliver something useful. He said: "These extra car parking spaces will bring in an extra £20,000 a year."

He then set out the wider pitch, adding: "What I would like to see is this council use that £20,000 a year towards actually doing something to actually provide accommodation for people, affordable accommodation... for the residents of this town."

Councillors were told the cottage is thought to have no significant foundations, suffers from structural cracking, has a rotten ground floor and would need major remodelling to meet modern standards.

It was Councillor Lokabandhu who proposed that the council should seek demolition of the cottage and set aside future income from the extra spaces for a housing project in years ahead.

Members backed that plan, meaning money generated by the site could later be used to build up a housing fund or support borrowing for homes elsewhere in Glastonbury.

advertisement

The council will now move to seek planning permission and permission from Somerset Council as current freeholder while the ownership transfer is progressed.

More stories:

• Tributes paid to market artist Mike Jackson
• Street's Strode joins elite clean energy college group
• Street and Glastonbury Calendar Girls cast pose for charity calendar

Subscribe to the free Glastonbury Nub News newsletter and get the biggest Glastonbury stories straight to your inbox.