New community centre may not open for another year

Work on the new community centre has stalled

A village's blighted community centre will not open for at least another year as work on it has stalled.

Easton Parish Council, in Norfolk, has revealed the £3.2m project has been at a standstill for five months as it cannot afford to pay contractors to finish essential works.

The authority has found itself in financial peril due to spiralling costs related to a new village hall, which remains hundreds of thousands of pounds short of its required budget, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Mark Caton, council chairman, said "We have to focus on the positives and the council has made huge strides in the last few months."

The unfinished venue remains empty and a lack of funds means the heating cannot be turned on.

The council is also facing legal action from suppliers who have still not been paid.

Easton, on the outskirts of Norwich, is one of the fastest-growing villages in Norfolk with hundreds of new homes planned for the area.

To meet the needs of the growing population, Easton Parish Council launched plans to build a multi-use community centre in Marlingford Road.

The ambitious project has hit several hurdles since work began, including the original contractors going bust.

This resulted in parish councillors deciding to take on project management themselves.

The scheme was initially forecast to cost about £1.5m but this has risen dramatically due to inflation pushing up the price of manpower and materials.

Councillors now believe it will come to a total of £3.2m.

The council still needs to find some £300,000 to pay fees related to the community centre and finish remaining works before locals can get through the door, which will not be until autumn next year at the earliest.

'Tantalisingly close'

These pressures are requiring the council to increase the parish tax for locals, which it has previously suggested could be a hike as steep as 230%.

However, it now hopes that by renegotiating hefty loan repayments to the government it will be able to propose a smaller increase of about 111%.

This would see the Band D properties in Easton, which currently pay £44 a year toward the parish, pay about £93.

However, the council says the project is "practically finished" with much of the interior decorated.

Mr Caton said: "It is so tantalisingly close to being finished and we hope to turn the key in the door in the not-so-distant future.

"This is much-needed for the village; there are a severe lack of facilities here and the community centre will be a great asset."