Dawlish residents back tumbledown vicarage homes scheme

Developers planning to turn a tumbledown vicarage in Dawlish into a group of new homes have been given the thumbs-up by local residents. Every comment on the plan on the Teignbridge Council website is in support of the proposal.

Developers planning to turn a tumbledown vicarage in Dawlish into a group of new homes have been given the thumbs-up by local residents.
Every comment on the plan on the Teignbridge Council website is in support of the proposal by Torquay-based JDTOV Management.
The chair of the Vicarage Residents Group, which has been leading the fight to save the property in Weech Road from ruin, said: “This is the best scheme we’ve seen for the site so far!”
The plan is to restore and convert the existing building into six homes, and build one new home next door. The roofs of the stone and cob buildings, the end section of the cob building and an internal wall section of the coach house will have to be knocked down because of their poor condition.
Listed building consent will be needed along with planning permission.
The vicarage is thought to date from the late 17th Century, and served as the vicarage house for Dawlish until 1938, when it was sold to the Great Western Railway. In 1950, the building was converted to four flats for the staff of British Railways and additional offices were provided for Dawlish Station.
The final tenant left the Old Vicarage in 2003, and there have been a number of unsuccessful proposals for redevelopment since then.
Mary Nock, who chairs the Vicarage Residents Group, said the proposal was a ‘genuinely positive’ solution for a building that had suffered decades of decline and neglect.
There have been a number of unsuccessful planning applications and, said Mary Nock: “The result has been continued collapses and deterioration of a heritage asset that deserves far better.”
She said the proposal showed a clear understanding of the building’s Grade Two listed status and was ‘low-key, sensitive, and carefully designed’.
She went on: “It has the potential to become a positive addition to the local community, restoring pride in a structure that has long been a source of concern.”
The plan has a total of seven homes, and will restore and rebuild the collapsed cob vicarage.
“With the right backing this could mark a turning point, transforming a deteriorating site into something that benefits both heritage and community alike,” said Mary Nock. “I sincerely hope the council and Historic England recognise the merits of this proposal and move towards a swift and favourable determination.”