DOZENS of elderly tenants in Wellington have been told the charity which wanted to close down and sell off their homes has had a change of heart.

The news marks a victory for town councillors who have spent two years fighting the Abbeyfield Society’s attempts to close Ivy House and the Old Vicarage.

Now, Abbeyfield has instead said it is looking for funding to improve the 55 supported living flats in the two properties and will again start to let flats which had fallen empty since its closure announcement in May, 2023.

The news was delivered to residents personally by Abbeyfield chief executive Paul Tennant, who held face to face meetings with them on Monday (March 19).

Wellington Mayor Cllr Janet Lloyd, who attended the meetings, said: “This is great news for the residents and for Wellington as a whole.

“It vindicates the position councillors took right back at the beginning of the process to do all they could to keep the homes open and allow residents to stay there.

“We have ensured residents have had access to advice and support and challenged the process that Abbeyfield was following and the information they were using to base their decisions on.

“Our council chief executive has offered support to Abbeyfield in developing its business plan by providing local contextual information and liaising with Somerset Council.

“The reality is, there is a demand for this sort of accommodation in the town and if it did not exist it would have to be built.

“While Mr Tennant has cautioned that there are still steps to go through, he is clearly confident enough of success to allow the units in the homes that have been vacant for some time while the closure process was underway, to start being filled.”

Mr Tennant told residents ‘things had changed’ and Abbeyfield was now committed to doing everything it could to keep the homes open.

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He said all but five of the 41 Abbeyfield properties around the country originally earmarked for disposal had been sold and Abbeyfield was discussing with Homes England how the funding raised together with grants might now be used to improve Ivy House and the Old Vicarage.

Abbeyfield was drawing up a business case to present to Homes England showing the need for the type of accommodation the homes provide in Wellington, and the necessary work and funding.

Mr Tenant will return to Wellington to give residents a progress report in four weeks’ time.

Ivy House resident Brian Standring told the Wellington Weekly that although residents were delighted with the news, the celebrations would be on hold until after Mr Tennant updated them next month.

Mr Standring said: “It is not a cut and dried deal at the moment but we are hoping the second meeting in four weeks’ time will complete it.

“While it is great, great news, it is not quite the end of the story, there is a bit more to go.”

An Abbeyfield Living Society spokesperson said: “The level of investment required in the homes remains significant.

“However, in the last 18 months two key factors have changed.

“Firstly, we are in a stronger financial position than before because of the tough decisions we took, and secondly the very positive move by Homes England reviewing their guidance on the use of recycled capital grants to allow investment in existing properties.

“These positive changes have put us in a better position to apply to access funding to carry out the essential investment needed to secure the long-term viability of both properties.

“While the decision has brought relief to residents and staff, we fully understand the frustration and concerns they have felt throughout the process.

“We deeply regret the uncertainty caused during this time and have apologised to residents and staff.”