Cottage Tenancy Secured

A TENANT of a historic Dutch Cottage in Rayleigh who feared she would be evicted has been told she can stay after fresh funding has been agreed.
Fay Laflin, who has been the tenant in the historic Dutch Cottage on Crown Hill for almost 20 years, feared she would have to leave after it was claimed the house could not meet “decent homes standards.”
A meeting of Rochford District Council confirmed £140,000 for the maintenance of the cottage – the “oldest council house” in the country.
As a result, Ms Laflin will be able to continue living in the historic building, which is operated by the Dutch Cottage Trust charity.
Danielle Belton, Conservative leader of Rochford Council, said: “The Dutch Cottage Trust was operated under a structure that was outdated and barely meeting objectives.
“Therefore, they could not continue to operate as a landlord. As such, the tenant was offered an opportunity to relocate.
“Fay made it clear, supported by residents, that she would rather stay where she is. The new governance arrangements already recommended and published ahead of the public campaign were the mechanisms to enable that.”
£140,000 is the cost of keeping the property tenanted in the “short term”, while discussion over the long-term future of the property will take place at a later date.
Coun Belton continued: “The council and trust can explore possible options for the cottage and will be able to bring forward a report for consideration at a later date.
“This is only possible because we voted in favour of the report.”
While the historic home, which bears the date 1621 above the front door, is said to be nearly 400 years old, architectural historians believe it was actually built in the 18th century.
The building’s construction, with its octagonal structure and lack of corners, was conducive to traditional custom, in that it prevented dark recesses where evil spirits might lurk.
The Dutch Cottage takes its name from the association of this type of house with 17th-century Dutch immigrants who constructed many of the sea walls of the south Essex coast.
Picture: eight-sided and thatched. Pic Google Maps
Read more
Visit: https://leigh-on-sea.news
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leighonsea.news
X : @leighonsea_news
Contact us: https://leigh-on-sea.news/contact-us
Email: [email protected]