“PULL your finger out!” That’s the message to Cornwall Council from the committee, councillor and MP regarding the lack of action over Trelander Community Centre, which was gutted by fire in September.

Representatives of the Trelander and St Clements Community Association claim Cornwall Council, which manages the buildings insurance, has blamed delays on loss adjusters getting surveys and estimates. The centre was left roofless until January, and association members – who manage the contents insurance - have yet to access the boarded-up interior due to safety concerns.

Committee chair Lorraine Vinson said the council needed to “pull its finger out”, adding: “They have not kept in touch with us – the only time we hear anything is if we ask anything and get a reply.

“They have yet to decide on whether a repair or a rebuild is the best way forward. We suspect it will be a rebuild, and by the time they have put this out to tender and the work has been done, we could be looking at 18 months without a centre.”

Trelander Community Centre has been unusable since a major fire in September
Trelander Community Centre has been unusable since a major fire in September (Jayne Kirkham MP)

Mrs Vinson said the centre was used by up to 600 people a month. Many activities have moved to alternative accommodation, including Truro Rugby Club and Malabar Community Centre. “But it’s too far for some of our residents to go,” she added. “We ran a monthly community café for elderly folk, and it was the only time they got to see each other. Now they are missing out.”

Fellow committee member and Cornwall councillor Loic Rich (Independent, Tregolls) said: “It’s really frustrating. Surely by now the loss adjusters should have been able to do their work and things should be moving. After six months, you would expect them to have come to a conclusion about the next steps.”

Committee members have been unable to access the interior of Trelander Community Centre since a major fire in September
Committee members have been unable to access the interior of Trelander Community Centre since a major fire in September (Jayne Kirkham MP)

MP for Truro and Falmouth Jayne Kirkham (Labour) visited the site on Saturday and was “unimpressed”, saying: “The council needs to speed up the insurance claim and rebuild of a building that is so important to the community. I will continue to push to make sure that happens.”

Cornwall Council was contacted for comment. Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed an investigation into the fire was “ongoing”.