24/02/2024
Statement on Keepers Cottage:
As many in the area will be aware, the Keepers Cottage site was made safe early yesterday morning at the request of the Council following structural issues caused by consistent, heavy rainfall over a number of weeks.
We understand that there has been much speculation over the last 48 hours and we would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight.
Despite the development process having been positive, on Wednesday morning, it became clear that the overnight rainfall had caused major structural issues with the building when two large cracks appeared on either side of the front door, making it unsafe for the builders to continue working on reinforcing the foundations.
Over the course of the day, this became gradually worse and, as a precautionary measure (and to protect the safety of local residents) the Police decided to close Northcote Road. The Council were contacted immediately upon discovering the cracks and were kept up to date throughout.
Following an inspection of the site early yesterday morning, the Council ruled that the building was no longer safe and posed a danger to the public. As a result, we were ordered to make the area safe by the Council; actions of which included erecting scaffolding to preserve the corner of the property which contains the King George VI postbox.
We bought Keepers Cottage to expand our business and to draw more people to this beautiful area we are so proud to call our home.
We, unlike many other hospitality businesses, were fortunate to survive the Covid-19 pandemic and, following this, have managed to sustain ourselves throughout the current cost of living crisis that has affected so many. So, after pushing ourselves to get through these unforeseen circumstances, we are sure you can appreciate the huge financial blow that the unexpected events of Wednesday have caused.
We have meticulously followed the planning permission to the required standards, further ensuring to respect the request of local residents to carefully preserve the King George VI postbox. Nevertheless, although we have done all we can to protect Keepers Cottage, we could only protect the building from human intervention and not from the natural elements.
We want to stress that the builders have worked both diligently and tirelessly to protect Keepers Cottage and, like us, they recognise the importance of the landmark to the local community. We condemn the abuse they have received from passing traffic and are saddened by the way in which they have been targeted.
That said, we want to thank all our customers and members of the public who have been so understanding over the last 48 hours. We are truly grateful for the support and generosity that you have shown us at what has proven to be a very difficult time.
Becky & Jamie
