THE decision to remove the gazebo in Lyme’s seafront gardens has been overturned by town councillors.
The gazebo in Langmoor Gardens was due to be taken down by Lyme Regis Town Council due to ongoing issues with anti-social behaviour and the structure’s poor state of repair.
But following an overwhelming number of objections from the local community, the council has changed its mind and agreed the gazebo will not be demolished.
Campaigners who fought for the structure to remain have welcomed the council’s change of heart.
The town council heard at a meeting on Wednesday that more than 1,800 people had signed a petition against its removal and councillors voted unanimously to reverse its earlier decision.
Campaigners in the public gallery gave a round of applause as the decision was made.
Town clerk John Wright said: “The town council makes many decisions that affect the community but it doesn’t always get it right. Although the decision to remove the gazebo was made with the best of intentions, the reaction from local people has shown how passionately they feel about this issue.
“The members acknowledged the strength of feeling and have listened to the community by overturning their decision.
“The council welcomes engagement of any kind with the community and is happy to find ways of involving local people to achieve positive outcomes for the town.
“The issues with the gazebo remain, including anti-social behaviour, littering, and the condition of the structure, and the members will need to consider how to address this, hopefully working in partnership with the community.
“There have been several interesting ideas put forward by the campaigners about how we can work together and we look forward to exploring these.”