A WOMAN who wanted to create a museum in a pair of historic cottages has said she remains hopeful – despite the fact they are now going to be demolished.

Sandie Baylis formed Facebook group Carterton Heritage last month, as she looked to turn two cottages, believed to be older than the town, into a museum.

However, last week West Oxfordshire District Council gave a housing developer permission to demolish the buildings at Fairseat in Arkell Avenue and build five new houses and seven flats.

But despite the apparent setback, Mrs Baylis is still pursuing her dream of creating a new heritage centre in the town.

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She said: “I was very upset by the decision and it is a huge shame that the beautiful house could not be saved.

“The goal remains the same, of primarily wanting to create a heritage centre or museum.

“I wish something could still happen, so I’d still like find an alternative place to host the museum.

“I’m exploring the possibility of doing a pop-up museum somewhere and seeing how things go and if it’s well received.

“We’re still hoping to expand the heritage group once the lockdown is over so I hope there’ll be an opportunity for something to happen.”

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To help try and achieve this ambition, an online fundraiser has been launched to raise £5,000, a figure Mrs Baylis said would be a ‘good amount to begin making this amazing idea a reality’.

Mrs Baylis set up the online heritage group to learn about the history of Carterton and its buildings, as well as the families that first moved to the town.

The group has over 400 members, and shares old pictures of Carterton, and buildings that have been and gone in the town.

Mrs Baylis had hoped to convert the cottages into a museum, with each room displaying Carterton through the decades.

In its planning application, IC Architects said the site at Fairseat was ‘an established residential area, surrounded by other relatively modern housing’.

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The firm said its proposal was ‘not in a conservation area, an area of outstanding natural beauty, or green belt and not close to any listed buildings’, before adding there is no record of flooding in the area.

The company said that its proposal for 12 new homes was ‘appropriate for the site and location, has due regard to the amenity of neighbouring properties and will not have an undue visual impact in relation to its surroundings’ and will ‘add to the character and appearance of the area’.

IC Architects, based in Long Hanborough, was established in 2008 by Ian Coleman, who has over 40 years of experience in the architectural industry.

He said that some of the new housing will be affordable and has a ‘whole string of benefits to the community’.

Carterton Town Council had said in the application process that it felt there would be ‘insufficient access for emergency vehicles, no environmental gains and insufficient parking’.

To donate to Mrs Baylis’ JustGiving page, visit: justgiving.com/crowdfunding/save-fairseat