A CHARITY which has spent the past year trying to re-open a historic Colchester building to the public is set to abandon the project.

The north east Essex branch of the Building Preservation Trust believes Colchester Council has “moved the goalposts” by inviting developers to offer bids of £250,000 to secure a 125-year lease on Tymperleys, in Trinity Street.

The trust has been in talks with the authority since the 15th century Grade II listed building closed in 2010.

Director David Balcombe said he was “totally surprised” to discover the council had instructed chartered surveyors Whybrow to market the building.

The council is inviting offers from commercial interests wanting to turn the house into anything from homes to a hotel, to pay a minimum of £250,000 for a 125-year lease.

Alternatively, institutions such as charities can register an interest in taking on a 20-year lease with no payment up front, while agreeing to pay some rent and, potentially more costly, fund repairs and insurance.

Mr Balcombe said the trust’s bid was based on funding applications to organisations which would not be able to offer grants without the security of a lease longer than 20 years.

He said the trust had told Colchester Council a successful bid would also need to have a commercial element, such as a cafe, in order to fund the charitable element, not one or the other.

He said: “I’m very frustrated and a little bit cross that it has ended up in another muddle.

“You would have thought in the spirit of embracing the voluntary sector in the town, they would have wanted to be more open with us.

“We’ve put a lot of time and money into this project trying to encourage them to do the right thing and find a benign caretaker for the building.”

Mr Balcombe said it was “blindingly obvious” that the council would prefer a payment from a commercial interest over an offer from a charity.

The trust is to meet next week, when it will discuss whether it will withdraw from the project.

Whoever wins the contract will have to open the building to the public for 12 days a year, and keep the gardens open.