Battle of Rose Cottage
Owner, 92, told to tear up this flowerbed as it ‘intrudes on village green’
FOR centuries, this historic home has been surrounded by the roses which give it its name.
And ever since she bought Rose Cottage in 1967, Thelma Peppert has carefully tended the flowers growing outside her front door.
So the 92-year- old was stunned to receive a letter last week telling her to destroy the flowerbed at her 18th century home immediately – or face legal action.
The letter from the parish council in Dalton Piercy, a village near Hartlepool, said the retired secretary was forbidden from keeping a garden because the land is part of the village green.
It read: ‘It has come to the notice of the Parish Council that once again you have developed a garden in front of your home on village green land. You will be well aware that this is not acceptable … The Parish Council therefore instructs you to remove the garden and any stones or ornaments placed on village green land.
‘You have 14 days to comply. Should you not do so, the Parish Council will have the garden removed and bill you for the work. Legal action will ensue immediately if you should interfere with those instructed to do this.’
The letter was addressed to Mrs Peppert’s son Joe Proudlock, who lives with her in the Grade II-listed cottage and acts as her carer.
Mr Proudlock, 62, said: ‘ This cottage and the flowers have been my mother’s pride and joy for 50 years, and now they want to needlessly destroy it.
‘There is a picture of me as a young lad in 1967 standing next to the rose beds and it looks exactly the same as it does now.
‘My mother has always loved gardening. Her health is deteriorating but she still loves admiring the flowers out of the window.
‘Now the parish council are making her twilight years hell and the stress of this letter has caused her to be physically sick.’
The council says it had to act after the size of the floral feature increased by about a foot – a claim Mr Proudlock dismisses.
Parish council vice- chairman Alan Timothy said: ‘It is our land by law. Over the years we have allowed Rose Cottage to keep a small front garden with some roses However as a in gesture recent of months goodwill. the flower bed has expanded. We can only tolerate so much and have no choice but to order them to completely remove the garden. The village green is two acres in total and there are 25 houses built around it. Imagine if all those houses started taking bits of the green to grow roses on.’
In 2010 a Land Registry tribunal rejected an attempt by Mrs Peppert to claim ownership of the land at the front of the twobedroom cottage.
However, Mr Proudlock says the size of the 3ft-wide flower border has not changed ‘ by a millimetre’ for decades. A petition to save it has already attracted nearly 5,000 signatures.
This week there was another twist when contractors began digging up the turf on the green in front of the cottage, telling Mr Proudlock they were building a car park for nearby allotments. Mr Proudlock said: ‘It seems to be a personal vendetta against us.’