Oxford City Council is looking to move tenants in to a housing area it battled to move people out of for the new Westgate development, it has emerged.

Abbey Place is meant to be demolished to make way for the £330m expansion of the Westgate Shopping Centre.

But with that project delayed, the flats are now set to be brought back into use.

The news has angered a city councillor and a vulnerable tenant who was ordered to move from Abbey Place to a new block of flats in Albion Place.

Documents seen by us show Steve Sprason, the council’s head of property, has voiced an intention to allow three flats in Abbey Place to be let on a short-term basis.

However, the council said no new tenants had yet moved in.

Carfax ward councillor Sushila Dhall said: “I find it very depressing the council has evicted people that didn’t want to go and now they’re looking at putting in short-term lets.

“It will make people think they needn’t have moved. Most of the previous tenants went through a lot of grief over the fact they were being forcibly removed.

“This single issue of residents in Abbey Place has caused more grief for me than any other issue in central Oxford, because I haven’t been able to protect my ward members’ interests in the face of people wanting to make a profit out of what should be public land.”

Vincent McKeown, who has multiple sclerosis and can only communicate by blinking, fought a bitter battle with the council over the demolition of his home and has still not been found a suitable new home.

His carer Christian Pattison said: “The council can’t do anything until they find something suitable for Vincent and they don’t seem to have made any real efforts to do that.”

In November, the council began moving tenants from Abbey Place and rehousing them in Albion Place, which has been paid for by Capital Shopping Centres, which owns the Westgate Centre.

Valerie Hodgson, 76, a disabled former Abbey Place resident, said: “I don’t like where we have been moved to. I’m angry that we had to move, because we didn’t want to.”

A city council spokesman said: “We’re trying to find a way, in consultation with the developer, to let them out on beneficial short-term lettings, given the shortage of housing in Oxford and without prejudicing the ability to redevelop.

“We haven’t evicted anyone from Abbey Place and our housing officers have been in close contact with the residents about their future housing requirements.”

Meanwhile, a new flat specifically built for Vincent McKeown is unsuitable for his needs, a report has found.

Mr McKeown is being forced to leave his specially-adapted flat in Abbey Place.

The 55-year-old was measured up by council officers for the new flat in Albion Place.

However, when he went to visit it with his carer Christian Pattison in December they discovered the corridor was too small for wheelchair-bound Mr McKeown to be manoeuvred into his bedroom without considerable difficulty. It was also difficult to get Mr McKeown through an access gate, pictured.

An occupational therapist asked to review the flat declared it unsuitable, with the bedroom too small to allow a carer to get him into bed.

Mr Pattison is also worried Mr McKeown will not be able to safely sit outside due to the proximity of the Oxford Magistrates’ Court. He said: “This has been extremely stressful for Vincent.”

Occupational therapist Penny Wells said in her report “this property (Albion Place) is not suited to Vincent’s needs and I support his decision to decline the offer”.

A council spokesman said: “An occupational therapist has assessed the suitability of future accommodation for one of our tenants and has raised certain issues with it.

“We’re continuing to work with the tenant to address these issues.”