By Patrick LowmanCONSERVATION groups are celebrating after a house which remained untouched for more than half a century has been saved from demolition.

By Patrick Lowman

CONSERVATION groups are celebrating after a house which remained untouched for more than half a century has been saved from demolition.

The historic house at 21 Court Street, Nayland, which dates back to the 17th Century, hit the headlines last year when it was sold for £270,000 at a village hall auction.

Interest in the property was high because its interior decor and furniture had been largely untouched since the 1930s, and contained an old Belling cooker and a Burco boiler.

Property developer George Braithwaite originally said he wanted to preserve the house, but he recently submitted a plan to demolish the building to make way for three new homes.

Mr Braithwaite submitted the plan after surveyors discovered the walls of the house were saturated with damp and timber frames were extensively rotten, leaving it needing a near-total renovation.

But the plan was rejected by Babergh District Council's development committee, who ruled the modern homes would be detrimental to the character of the historic street scene, which sits in a Conservation Area and a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The decision was made after the council was overwhelmed by people objecting to the plans to demolish the property.

The council received more than 80 letters opposing the scheme and the parish council, the Dedham Vale Society and the Nayland-with-Wissington Conservation Society all campaigned to have the demolition plan thrown out.

Andora Carver, honorary secretary, for the Nayland-with-Wissington Conservation Society said: "We are very pleased with this result, which has protected a very important street scene. This street is in Conservation Area and is an integral part of the village, which we want to preserve.

"If the proposal was successful 21 Court Street would have been the first domestic dwelling demolished in Nayland since the Conservation Area was designated in 1973, which would have set a dangerous precedent.

"We now hope the house can be put back on the market and somebody can buy it as a family home."