A REQUEST for some £500,000-worth of funding to back a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to protect Tavistock's historic centre was last week rejected by the town council.

Tavistock Townscape Heritage Partnership — made up of members and officers of the borough and town councils, Tavistock Museum, Tavistock Local History Society and other interested organisations — has drawn up a conservation area management plan and character appraisal for the town which will be used for future planning purposes.

A separate, regeneration strategy could also be used to back a bid to the HLF — if successful it could draw substantial funding into the town, to help maintain and protect its historic buildings.

Dick Eberlie, chairman of the partnership, recently wrote to the town council, asking it to back its documents and set aside around £500,000, which could be used as match funding for the HLF bid.

Mr Eberlie said the documents were 'essential building blocks' for a successful bid and that the town council was 'an essential partner' in that bid.

But during a meeting of the town's finance committee last Tuesday, chairman Cllr Harry Smith proposed the partnership's financial request be rejected.

Cllr Smith said there was no guarantee the council would get back its money, which was provided by the tax payer.

Even if the bid was successful, the town council only had one representative on the partnership.

'We have no control and no power of veto. I believe we should not take that risk,' said Cllr Smith.

Cllr Anne Johnson said: 'When this was first discussed I thought it was a huge opportunity with some real benefits, but as time has gone on, I have been very disappointed.

'We could be leaving ourselves wide open to paying money and getting nothing out. The partnership seems to have grown, which has weakened our position within it.

'We have a duty to look after the historic buildings in the town and we do that extremely well in my view.'

Cllr Johnson said she feared any money that did come in would get used up on consultants and other areas, which may not benefit these buildings, the majority of which were owned and maintained by the town council anyway.

Town mayor Cllr Mandy Govier said she 'totally supported' Cllrs Smith and Johnson.

She agreed the heritage partnership appeared to be 'growing constantly' and the council had already budgeted for, and maintained its historic property portfolio, 'extremely' well.

l At Tuesday's full council meeting, Dick Eberlie told members the heritage partnership had now decided to put aside the bid to the HLF in the light of the council's decision.

'We are only concerned at this stage with the management plan,' said Mr Eberlie, who urged the council to consider it again.

'I think you will find the contents for the most part a number of sensible and practical steps to be taken in the interests of residents,' he said.

The issue will be revisited by the properties committee next month.