LYME REGIS: The fight to save affordable housing units at Monmouth House has been lost after a U-turn saw the development trust ask the town council to buy the property on the open market.

The news comes after the council vowed to save Monmouth House when the Lyme Regis Development Trust (LRDT) deemed it too expensive to run and offered to transfer it to the town council.

At a previous strategy and policy meeting, councillors were told that the current rental income from the five housing units at Monmouth House was £17,000 per year, but this would not cover refurbishment costs identified by the trust as anything up to £200,000.

Councillors suggested a conditions survey be undertaken and called for a detailed report looking at the options of the town council taking over the property.

But in the public forum at last week’s full council meeting, a statement from Wendy Davies of LRDT said Yarlington Housing Association had offered to survey the building and the trust had accepted.

Wendy also informed the town clerk that the trust had already served eviction notices on the tenants.

In a U-turn she added that the trust would now be willing to sell Monmouth House to the council on the open market.

Cllr Mark Gage said: “Under no circumstances could the town council envisage buying the property on the open market, this would equate to 50 per cent of council reserves. I was a huge supporter of the development trust but they have got this very wrong. Monmouth House is viable for social housing and it’s a tragedy.”