Row after town slates parish

9:18am Thursday 3rd July 2008

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A ROW has erupted after a Lyme Regis town councillor accused Uplyme of complacency' on affordable housing in the Lyme area.

The comment was made by Councillor Owen Lovell at last week's town council community plan implementation sub-committee and Councillor Stan Williams backed him up, saying his remarks were right on the mark'.

Town councillors were discussing the LymeForward report to the Local Area Partnership on an affordable housing strategy.

The outburst has incensed Uplyme Parish Council chairman Beryl Denham. And Lyme mayor, Coun Sally Holman, and Wendy Davies, LymeForward steering group member, have leapt to Uplyme's defence, believing Mr Lovell's statement arose from a misunderstanding' of a LymeForward report.

In the report, Mrs Davies states: We have met with East Devon and West Dorset District Councils' strategic housing to discuss how to progress on sites in East Devon - the response was not encouraging, we are therefore concentrating in the main on sites in West Dorset.' Coun Lovell reacted by saying: "I find the dogmatic attitude of East Devon and Uplyme very frustrating.

"There are people who live there who do not want anyone else to live there. They do not want transport and we are getting the same with affordable ho using.

"LymeForward is to include Lyme, Charmouth and surrounding areas. Someone has got to beat some sense into Uplyme. Someone has got to shake them out of their complacency and they have got to join in."

Mrs Denham said yesterday: "I was appalled to read Councillor Lovell's criticism of Uplyme. The meeting he refers to was held on land in Uplyme, but Uplyme Parish Council was not invited to attend and the first I knew of the matter was about a fortnight later.

"Coun Lovell's remarks were even more inaccurate as I have done my best to cement friendly relationships with Lyme Regis Town Council, both through Councillor Whetlor and the present mayor, Coun Sally Holman.

"I attended the affordable housing day and the mayor reported to the press that our discussions had been very positive. I have also attended most LymeForward meetings, although the subject matter of most of these has been relative to Lyme Regis.

"And, as I have discussed with Wendy Davies , my main interest is in affordable housing and traffic matters. At the beginning of this year I made a pledge to initiate a site for eight affordable houses during this year and am endeavouring to progress this matter.

"I should appreciate it if Coun Lovell would withdraw his ill-founded attack on Uplyme Parish Council and not destroy the work of the last two years. I shall be contacting the mayor today."

Mrs Davies told The News: "It would seem Coun Lovell completely misunderstood what the sentence actually said and what he was saying about Uplyme is totally wrong."

She explained East Devon's response was not encouraging due to planning issues, not because of lack of willingness or interest on its part.

She said the sites looked at by LymeForward were not directly adjacent to the county b order and far from East Devon's affordable housing sites, but these planning obstacles did not mean East Devon had not approached the issue with a positive attitude.

Mrs Davies added: "On the whole issue Mrs Denham has been totally supportive, as have East Devon District Council officers, and we are still progressing specifics together."

Coun Holman added: "I have valued the degree of co-operation we have established with Uplyme and the parish council."